Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-13
Is Proposed by Pres. Baer Of
the Reading Co.
Wages May Be Higher but Never
Lower Than at Present.
Big Crowd to Hear Closing Arguments
for Operators.

ing Company, made his closing argu-
ment for the coal operators before the
strike commission, today, and Clarence
;. barrow, chief counsel for the miners
began the summing up for the men.
The two sessions were extremely in
teresting, and the principal speakers
held the attention of the auditors
throughout their remarks.
The greatest interest was manifested
in Mr.. Baers appearance before the
commission to plead the case of the
mine owners. There were many prom
inent persons present to hear him,
among them being President Trues-
dale of the Delaware, Lakawanna &
Western Railroad; Archbishop Ryan,
judges of the federal and local courts,
state senators and many mining Of
ficials from the coal regions
Mr.. Baer concluded his adrdess by
making proposition to pay the con-
tract miners on sliding wage scale,
their wages to fall or isre with the
market price of coal at New York, but
that in no case shall the wages fall be-
low that basis. The spokesman for the
coal companies took up hours and
20 minutes in delivering his address,
and when he sat down he was con-
graduated by hundreds of persons.
Mr.. barrow spoke at the afternoon
session for two hours and half, and
will take UP all of tomorrow in closring
the miners case. The crowd that
heard him was equally as large as that
which listened to Mr.. Baer, and he,
too, was surrounded by an admiring
throng. when he temporarily suspend
ell his speech at adjournment time.
His remarks, today, We're directed
principally at the wage statements pre-
sented to the commission, which, he
said, could not be relied upon.
Ex-Cong. Wolverton, principal colln-
sci of the Philadelphia and Reading
Coal and Iron Co., who was making his
argument when the commission add
journed, Wednesday, finished it.,
Thursday morning. Mr.. Wolverton
presented an array of figures to show
that the average earnings of the con-
tract miners of the Reading Co. are
higher than the average earnings of
most of the skilled workmen of the
state. He also opposed the demand for
an S-hour day because it would
IeQuce the output VI TIE IIllilcS anu oil
so would reduce the present wages of
the men. REWRITING to the wage ques-
ton, Mr.. WoIverton said that if an
increase in wages is decided upon it
should not be horizontal one, but
should be on a sliding scale basis.
Pres. Baer then said:
I'm general, no one denies the
right of man to organize for any
lawful purpose but the right to
organize and the power of the
organization when organized must
still be governed and controlled by the
general law of the land under which
our individual and property rights are
protected. We concede to organized
labor the same rights that we claim
for organized capital. Each must keep
within the law; there cannot be one
law for citizens and corporations and
another for labor organizations.
1.-The lawIessness in the coal regions
was the direct result of mistaken theo-
ries as to the rights of the mine work.
ers. 1t will not do to say that the lead
ers have not encouraged violence and
crime. 1t IS true, no doubt that they
did not advise it. They may at times
have counsellcd against it and ex-
pressed regrets for it, nevertheless they
are legally and morally responsible for
the situation they created and from
which this violence and crime neces-
sarily resulted Resolution No. 35 of
the Shamokin convention approves
the action of district convention No.
l which decided to insist upon forcing
all who work in and around the mines
Of tho uniny and
that they may be authorized to refuse
to work with nom union men,"
1.-THE leaders intended to enforce
their demands by the threatened de-
struction of the mines. They we'll
know that if the pumping ceased the
mines would be destroyed. They
thought the operators would yield
rather than see the ruin of the mines.
The operators did not yield. Every at
temp to supply men to work the pumps
were met by mobs. by pickets and all
tho devices that labor unions common
Nv use to prevent men from working.
..With the cessation of mining for five
months and the destruction for the time
being of a number of collieries, the public
is now suffering for want of an adequate
supply of fuel Think what the result
would have been had the efforts of the
Mine workers Union to drown out all
our collieries been successful.
MANY good men have found fault with
us for not making an agreement with the
United Mine Workers of America. You
will recall that the demand made upon
us was for uniform scale of wages COW
erinE the whole anthracite field. All of
the operators were asked to meet in con-
vention with a view to adopting uniform
scale. The conditions of employment are
.. not always the same and therefore uni
form scale of wages applicable to tho
whole United States would not be just
1--WE have made every effort to convince
Mr. Mitchell and his friends of the utter
impracticability of his scheme. Our chief
objection to his organization was that il
was a foreign organization interested in a
rival and competitive business. 1t has
proved to be just as mischievous as we
believed it would.
! I'm addition to the fact the Miners
Union was controlled by hostile interests
we object to it because we cannot dele
gate to the Miners Union or any other Ia