The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-11-19
JOHN MITCHELL COULDN'T
Be 1RIppED.
He Holds His Own Against the
Brilliant Wayne macveagh.

OTiiiidilt wayne WdCvedYiI.
Scranton, Pa, November 17.-In
the presence of as many persons as
could be jammed into the Superior
Court room today Wayne MacVeaeh,
for the Erie Company, and John Nit
chell, for the miners, continued their
brilliant battle of cross-examination
before the anthracite coal commission.
The two men, the one in his thirties,
and the other in his seventies, were
followed with intense interest by the
commissioners and the crowd through
out the day today and the contest will
be resumed in the morning. The
fourth demand of the union, which
ca for yearly trade agreement and
which means straightout recognition
Of the union, was the bone of con-
tention, and although four hours we're
taken up in a discussion of the ques-
tion, not much material progress was
made. Wayn MacVeagh, skilled in
the art of cross examination, attempt
ed to show the utter responsibility of
the union and its unftness to make
contracts which it could live up to.
His princi pal argument was the alleged
boycott and he often hard-pressed the
miners president for an answer.
The latter, however, slowly and
deliberately gave some reply, but 1T
did not always satisfy his inquisitor.
Mr.. MacVeagh, in the presence Of the
assemblage, expressed his admiration
of the ability of the witness, and on
one occasion, when Mr.. Mitchell
parried question regarding the boy
cotting Of a coal and iron policeman
by hotel keeper, the distinguished
attorney threw up his hands, laughed
and said:
"Mr. Mitchell, you are the best wit
ness for yourselh that ever confront
ed"
Mr.. MacVeagh weighed heavily on
what, he said, was reign of terror in
the anthracite region during the
period of the strike. He read list of
fourteen names of men who were killed
during that time, and also submitted
in evidence about seventy-fve printed
pages of acts of alleged violence, boy
cott and intimidation, and with the
assistance of stacks of other documents
maintained that it would be utterly
impracticable for the coal companies he
represents to enter into agreements
with an organization that could not
control its own men.
Mr.. Mitchell stoutly maintained that
the discipline in the organization is
as good as it possibly could te where
147, 600 men were involved. He claim
ed that the strikers were not entirely
responsible for the acts of lawlessness
that were committed. He regretted
that members Of the union had, in
some instances, violated the law, even
after they had been warned to refrain
from doing so, but made the excuse
that IN times of great excitement there
was always more or less disorder.
In answer to questions he said that
where there was reign Of terror, and
he had no information That such was
the case during the late strike, con-
d1tions arise that are "intolerable"
or unfortunate. F"
z Replying to specific instances point
ed out to him by Mr.. MacVeagh,
going to work through fear of per-
sonal harm or social ostracism for
themselves and families, Mr. Mitchell
said that in some cases men may have
been deferred, but denied the assertion
that such alleged acts prevented the
mines from being operated. He said
that when the strike was declared
every mine worker in the region quit
work and remained on even after the
entire National Guard of the State had
been thrown into the coal fields. In
short, he said, the men would not
have gone to work under any condition.
The miners president, no matter
how skilfully he was questioned,
could not be dragged into fat admis-
sion that he. as president of the
union, approved of the boycott COM
planned of by the companies. He had
his personal opinions of some phases
of the boycott, but would not express
them as being the sentiment or policy
of his organization. During the cross
examination the commissioners often
interrupted with questions in order to
stop long colloquy of some disputed
point. While the examination was at
times quite spirited, the best Of good
feeling prevailed. Only once Mr..
Mitchell showed some signs of irri-
liability. This was when Mr.. Mac
Veagh, reading the long list of acts
of violence, would take Mr.. Mitchell
to task for some particular vicious act
and say, sharply: "You could have
prevented this,''
In the course of the forenoon session
Mr.. MacVeagh examined Mr.. Mitchell
regarding the eight-hour demand, and
referred to the fact that Abraham Lin
coin, James A. Garfield and William
Mckinley worked more than eight
hours a day and were thus enabled to
climb the ladder to the Presidency.
Mr.. MacVeagh grew eloquent in the
- of orar&sorc