Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-10-10
WHAT MITCHELL SAYS.
Text of Letter of President Mitchell
in Answer to Proposition to
Resume Work. s.
Says the Chief Executive Would Have
No Power to Enforce Recommen-
dation of Commission.
Experience With Coal Operators in
the Past Does Not Inspire
(. . Him With Confidence

Washington, Oct. 10.-President
Mitchell of the coal miners union has
refused to comply with the appeal Of
President Roosevelt to call the. strike
off. His letter to the president, which
was made public at the White House
during the day, says the responsibility
for the continuation of the strike
should be placed upon those who have
refused arbitration. President Mitch
ellis letter is as follows:
"Hon Carroll D. Wright has, no
doubt, reported to you the delivery Of
your message to me last Monday and
my statement to him that I should
take your suggestion under advise
ment, although I did not look upon it
with favor. -.... a. .ns..
"'Since that time / have consulted
with our district presidents who con-
cur fully in my views.
'We desire to assure you again
that we feel keenly the responsibility
of our position and the gravity of the
situation and it would give us great
pleasure to take any action which
would bring this coal strike to an end
in manner that would safeguard the
interests of our constituents.
I'm proposing that there be an i'm
mediate resumption of coal mining
upon the conditions we suggested in
the conference at the White House we
believed that we had gone more than
half way and had met your wishes.
critieises Action Of Operators. Sui
"It is unnecessary in this letter to
refer to the malicious assault made
upon US In the responses of the coal
operators. We feel confident that you
must have been impressed with the
fairness Of our proposition and the in.
sincerity of those who maIigned us.
Having in mind our experience
with the coal operators in the past we
have no reason to feel any degree OF
confidence in their willingness to dc
us justice in the future and, inasmuch
as they have refused to accept the de-
cision of a tribunal selected by you
and inasmuch as there is no law
through which you could enforce the
findings Of the commission you sug-
gest, we respectfully decline to advise
our people to return to work simply
upon the hope that the coal operators
might be induced or forced to comply
with the recommendations of your
commission *=...sl,., -:
Gas stated above we believe thar
we went more than half way in our
proposal at Washington and we do not
feel that we should be asked to make
further sacrifice. sI1 ,fsa
| I'VE appreciate your solicitude for
the people of our country who are now
and will be subjected to great suffer
ing and inRnveniece by a prolonga-
tion Of the coal strike and we feel
that the onus of this terrible state Of
affairs should be placed upon the side
which has refused to defer to fair and
impartial Investigation" q
President to Try Again. .ss
| No comment was made concerning
| the letter OF Mr.. Mitchell by officials
at the White House although it can be
said that the president has not ex-
hausted all efforts in bringing about
an end to the strike. Nothing can be
learned as to the future intentions OF
the president in this matter and it is
stated that the time has not yet come
to disclose the purpose of the admins.
tration. This naturally gives rise to
! speculation as to what may be the
next move, as it was understood that
the administration had done about
everything possible in bringing the
operators and the miners together and
in the appeal made to Mr.. Mitchell.
The executive council of the Amer.
ican Federation of Labor is consider.
| ing the anthracite coal situation and
| will issue an appeal to the public fol-
| aid for the strikers. 1t is said that
| Mr.. Gompers and Mr.. Mitchell were
| in communication during the day
| though the former refused to answer
questions along that line.