The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1902-11-15
MITCHELL'S PLEA
FOR THE MINERS
Mastery Presentation OF Strik.
er's Cause Before Arbitra.
ton Commission.
DEMANDS OF MEN EXPLAINED
Justice of Their Contentious Set
Forth In an Address That
Covered All Phases of
The Situation.

SCRANTON, Nov. II. The anthra-
cite coal strike commission appointed
by President Roosevelt to arbItrlte the
differences existing between the mlns-
workers Of the hard coal Aelds OF Penn.
EylYania and their employers today
began the hearing Of testimony by
which II VIII determine whether or not
the Norkmen ere receiving Fair aud
just wages ana whether their con-
ditions should not be improved. The
star witness sor the miners President
John Mitchell took the stand IN the
forenoon, ana when .he commission
adjourned he was stil under the fire
OF cross.examlna,lo by David w.
Wilcox, general counsel for the Della
ware n Hudson company
II was a trying day for the miners
leader, but he seemed to stand the test
well The heaviest nre of the cross
questions wax aimed III him late n the
afternoon session, and when the hour
OF adjournment was reached Wilcox
was still propoundlnx questions and
testing Mitrhclls memory
The opening OF the session was a not
able day In the annals Of law In the up
per Anthracite region. Ranged ground
three tables in front OF the seven com
missloners we're no less than 70 lawyers
a OF whom were looking after the IN
teresis OF the mlneowners
Mr. .Mitchell's statement TO the board
contained 6001 words. He sai1 there
were $4,000 persons employed in the
districts affected, Of w7,om 10 percent
are employed on piece work, He told
OF the hazardous life OF the coal miner.
who, despite the fact that the daily
death rate In the mines from accident
was GO. received less wage than any
other class OF miners In the country
The man who escaped death or Injury
in the mines, he said. was sure to be
attacked with miners asthma, and so
great Is the risk Of the men that they
can not be insured, The advance Of
20 percent asked, Mr.. Mitchell contin-
ued. would not provide 1900 insurance
for each man.
In sunnort Of the demand for shorter |
hours. Mr.. Mitchell said the eight"hour
scale applied elsewhere, and that gov
ernment reports showed that the men
produced more coal In the shorter day
than under the l0-hcur system, The
soft coal miners receive in many in
stances from 20 to 10 percent higher
wages for eight hours work than the
miners receive for 10 hours
work.
AS to the demand for equitable meas
irement OF coal the president said the
ton was 22iO pounds, but
hat, under the measuring system, the
miners ton was 27IO to $3.50 pounds.
rhe operators have a plan of docking
hat deprives the miner Of almost half
lis work,
Mr.. Mitchell's statement With regard
o the demand for recognition of the
Inion was a mastery plea for justice,
( the operators would agree to this
emand, he said, the union would be
eld responsible FOR the work of the
nen. In conclusion, he said;
1--WE demand recognition because we
now that permanent peace and friend
Y relations can best be maintained
trough a trade agreement with the or
anization which our people have
lected to join, Fully 90 percent of the
of the anthracite coal mines
re members of 1t from choice; they
esire to retain their membership in it,
WAS lnt illlNNb MhNN'i hNi > va
merlea that conferred with the presi-
ent OF the United States in relation
, the submission Of the issues involv-
In the coal strike to this commlsslon {
was the United MlncworlSers of {
meriea that was requested by the {
resident to end the strike; II was the |
nltad Mineworlcrs Of America that {
mt the men back to work, aud II is ]
Ie United Mlnnworkers Of America l
at is pledged to accept the award Of i
Is commission. b
Failure to recognize the organiza-
on was the cause of the many local c
rlkas against which operators and \
lneowners jointly complained. There \
I'VE been many local strikes during s
e past year, the fault OF which rests I,
,on operators dnd piiners alike, The
Iners, failing to secure redress for v
elr wrongs the companies having re- @