The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-05
COAL BARONS TALK
THEY REACH NEW YORK AFTER
THE CONFERENCE.
THEIR VICTORY WAS EASY.
CLAIM MITCHELL COULD NOT HAVE
MADE VALID CONTRACT.

Say That Miners Constitution Re-
quires Two Weeks for Ratifica-
ton of DecisiOn-Suggested That
the President Pursue the Course
Adopted in the Debs Case, in
Which the Government Secured
Injunction and Then Used Federal
Troops.
New York, Oct. 4.-The presidents of
the anthracite coal roads arrived here
from Washington on a special train
to-day.
Z. B. Thomas, chairman of the board
thought the offer to submit individual
miners grievances to judges gave
every opportunity for fair and lib
eral treatment with appeal to an i'm
partial tribunal free from the inf1u-
ences of the bituminous coal combina-
ton
President Fowler of the New York,
Ontario and Western Road said
1T is not unlikely that the public
may jump at the conclusion that Mr..
Mitchell offered to resume operations
Immediately in order that the suffering
public might be relieved at once.
Mitchell cannot order an immediate
resumption of work, because the by
laws of the United Mine Workers de-
clare that such a proposition must be
first submitted to convention of dele
gates. That cannot be done in less
than two weeks time. The public will
observe that there is a great difference
between resuming work Immediately
and resuming work at the end of two
weeks. In a word, Mitchelrs PROPOSE
ton has string to it,
David Wilcox. vice president OF the
Delaware and Hudson Railroad, en-
phatically denied that the operators
ever had said there was nothing to ar
bitrate and he explained what he
meant by citing the Debs case at the
conference with the President in Wash
ington yesterday. He said:
Eat the conference yesterday the OPP
orators made a suggestion looking to
arbitration of future difficulties which
would be entirely just and practicable.
This was that if the men would return
grievance at any colliery and the enl-
ployer and employees should be unable
to agree in reference to them, the diff
ferences should be settled by the
judges of the court of Common Pleas
in the district in which the colliery is
located.
1.-THE operators offered to embody
this provision in contractual form If
desired. 1t was in fact an offer by the
To 10 NIL r.
bitration.
"Mr Mitchell has repeatedly said
that he did not insist upon recognition
of the Mine Workers Association.
Notwithstanding this, the offer of COM
pulsory arbitration was Immediately
and fatty declined by him on behalf
of the mine workers, although this
would secure everything asked except
recognition of the union.
"The attention of the President and
Attorney General was directed to the
fact that the United Mine Workers
Association is a body which seeks to
control the supply and production of
all the coal of the country, both an
thracite and bituminous. and of the
labor employed therein; that this is a
combination and monopoly of inter-
state commerce under the federal anti
trust act as has been held in numerous
cases, and that the precedent of the
Debs case covers this asso-
citation exactly. 1t was suggested
that if the course were adopted
which was pursued in the Debs case,
and was so effective in quelling the
Chicago riots, the present strike could
be ended next week. That course would
be for the United States to file a bill
in equity against this illegal combina-
ton and obtain preliminary injunc-
ton. In case that injunction should
be disregarded and the process of the
court defied the federal troops could
be used, If necessary, to enforce obedi-
ence thereto"
John Markle, the Independent opera
tor, spent some time IN conference with
J. p. Morgan. Mr.. Markle said
81 am satisfied that President
Roosevelt did not know the situation
of affairs in the anthracite coal fields
when he invited us to the conference
that took place yesterday. I have no
hesitancy in saying that when the
President realizes that he has power to
act, he will take such measures as are
vested in him to establish law and or
der in the anthracite fields"