Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1903-03-26
Cur Washington Letter.
WAsHIN0ToN. March p. 1:

be regarded as a victory for the
miners not only in that it awards
70 them the increase in wages for
which they principally struck, but
in that IL refutes the economic pro-
position advanced by President
Baer and other nine operators. On
this subject the Commission says,
Undoubtedly the proposition chat
men who own the property and carry
on the business must control il is
generally true and its maintenance
Is necessary 10 the POLITICAL and
economical welfare of society; but
Il is also true that where business
is Of such magnitude and its pbysi-
cal conditions are such as to con-
stitute q natural monopoly. il is
affected with q public interest which
cannot be ignored by those who
control IL. I" While submitting that
they do not feel authorized, Under
existing conditions, toadvocate com
pulsory arbitration the Commits
sioners recommend law proposed
by ChaaIes +. Adams which provi-
des for federal Intervention in time
Of extensive conflicts between en-
ployers and employees.
-
The specific awards OF the Com
mission. by which both operators
and miners are bound, give to the
latter general 10 per cent increase
in wages beginning with April
1902. Men employed nine hours
are 10 be paid on a ten hours basis
and provision is made for an in
crease in wages of / per cent. for
every increase in the wholesale
price OF coal, above 1850 per ton,
for pea coal. The average price
OF coal is to be determined by a
commissioner appointed by a United
States Circuit Judge and paid by
operators. The miners are per-
mitted all the check weighers they
may demand but they are to be paid
at the miners expense. Any in
crease in the size of miners cars
is to be met with a proportionate
increase in wages. 1t is further
provided that all disputes arising
during the period for which the
Commission makes its awards, shall
be adindicated by Joint concilia
tory committee" to consist of six
members, three to be appointed by
the operators and three by the
miners. In the event that an
agreement cannot be reached by
this evenly divided committee, the
committee shall select q seventh
member who shall cast the deciding
vote. No discrimination shall be
made against union or nonuniOn
miners and all awards shall stand
until March 81, 1906.
-.
The special session of the Senate
of the Fifty.eighth Congress has
adjourned, after ratifying the
Panama and Cuban treaties. Atten-
ton now turns to the action of
Colombia on the canal treaty and
the magnitude of the undertaking
70 which the United States has COM
mitted itself. 1t is estimated by
those who believe in the success of
the agreement, that about the
autumn of 1904 some 20, 600 negroes
armed with spades and picks will
invade the isthmus of Panama and
begin digging. 1t is said by the
engineers that 10000 will be a
minimum force OF laborers and that
rs high as $4,000 may be employed
at times. There are now about 900
men at work under the French COM
pany and every foot of the ground
for the canal has been broken
There is no contract labor law which
applies TO the isthmusand doubtless
negroes from all the West Indian
islands will be imported aud a
few may 60 from the United States.
although those already acclimated
viii De given preference as the
amount ofsickness viii be materially
diminished. Labor on the isthmus
commands from 40 to 30 cents per
day. There are now on the route
of the canal two Observation-Disclosures
hospitals and these will doubtless be
kept full to overlooking as none but
Americans will be given the higher
grades of work. All details of the
construction viii he determined by
Isthmian Canal Commission the
members Of which the President
will appoint as soon as the treaty is
ratified by Colombia.
-.
The provisions of the Cuban treaty,
as ratified, viii not go into effect
until the next session of Congress
as it has been SO amended as to
necessitate favorable action by both
houses and Senator McEnery of
Louisiana tells your correspondent,