Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1902-09-06

Philadelphia, Sept. 4.-Presidcnt
Baer of the Reading company and
United States Senators Quay and Pen
rose held Il long conference yesterday
afternoon in the executive offices of he
Reading company in this city, at when
the anthracite coal miners strike was
thoroughly discussed. At the conclI-
sion of the conference President Baer
issued lengthy reply to the two sena-
tors. Among otherithhlgs be snid:
'The coal operators say that they
cannot mine coal because the miners
make demands which render 1t impos-
sible to mine coal prOtitably, and thnt
the state has enacted laws prohibiting
the employment of men In the mines uu; :.
less they have worked two years In
anthracite mines, and therefore, they
cannot for the time being mine coal
IL we yield to the extravagant demands
of the miners we will lose money. III
we attempt to Increase the price Of coal,
We will destroy the industries depend
ing upon anthracite fuel. II we In
crease the price on the domestic sizes
we will be called rObber barons, Op-
pressOrs of the poor. mOnOpOlists and
enemies Of mankind. We have con-
cluded therefore. that our duty to our
selves and to the public will best be
served by standing firmly on these
propositions:
"1-That the wages paid In the nn-
thracite coal regions are, compared
with the wages paid in like employ
ment, fair and just. and that men will
ing to work honestly can earn more
money on the present basis of wages
than in any other industry engaged in
producing common articles of neces-
sity in the United States. y ~
"2-That wages cannot be Increased
without increasing the price of coal
and to increase the price Of coal will
restrict the market and drive the pub
lie to use bituminOus coal. and thar
restricted market will curtail prod,lc-
tion and result in deprlvlng the miners
Of regular employment. na
organizations. We fully Recognizable
right Of men to organize to protect
themselves from. oppression and to ben
eft thensslyes In any legitimate way.
But we dOaDppose their unreasonable
iAterfA Aence with the discipline AMI
0fdinary nahag cement Of our business.
We Will not permit them to select our
employees. Neither politics, religion.
nationality or membership in labor
organizations shall debar any COM
petent men from working for US.
'47-That it Is by reason of varying
conditions at each mine impracticable
to adopt q uniform scale Of wages for
the whole region Hut that at each
colliery every complaint and grievance
will be taken up and Investigated by
thesuperlntendeDts and ad justed when
ever 1t 4, just. i personally offered to
Mitchell and his district presidents to
go with them and investigate any
grievance. w z Es s4 sl&}fS 3.&&
I'VE cannot arbltrate a question IS
to whether ufining operation and busi-
ness generally shall be managed under
the common sense rule Of law and
equity, by the owners and the servants
they have selected, or by labor or
ganization. h' +sTs q
1.-THE operators were compelled to EN-
ploy police at their own expense to
guard the new men employed to man
the pumps to save their mines. The
guards and the law authorizing them
areidenOunced, and when private citi-
zens like Beddaflyare murdered the
state authorities, are denounced for
sending troops to. preserve the peace.'
2 President sBaer deyotes considerable
space to the efforts at arbitration, made
by the Civic Federation. He says that
every phase Of the situa tion was fully
and fairly discussed and that the Goa
companies offered toprOduce all books
that would throw any light on the sub
-jegtashow.ed,them the balance sheet Of
the different companies; pointed out
that the three ant nthracite 4 coal al-carryilg
companies. the Reading, Lehigh Valley
and Erie: lad not paid dividends OH
their stock for years; produced the
records showing coal sales and showed
how 40 percent Of the. anthracite coal
Is sold In the market below the cost Of
mining.
g.'.i-
Washington, Sept 4.--The report of
lCommissioncryof. Labor Wright ON the
anthracite Acoatstffke was made public
yesterday. Commissioner Wright fluids
that there is no confidence existing
between the employees and their en-
'plOyerA' This he believes Is one Of the
chief causes of the difficulties between
the operators and miners, .Com,nis-
sioner Wright suggests that 1t would
be reasOna bic and just for the operators
to cOncede at once a nine-hour day for
a period Of six months as an expert