The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-15
Senator Declares American People
Have Profound Contempt for
Big Railroad President.
THINKS THEY WILL NOT HEED.
Asserts He Doesn't Care What
Baer Says. but Explains
Why Civic Federation
Didn't Hear Report.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
| Washington, Feb. 1T believe the
American people have such a profound con-
tempt for Mr.. Baer that anything he may
say on that subject will not be accorded
any consideration"
In these words. Senator NJ. A. Hanna
paid his compliments 10 George F. Baer.
president of the Philadelphia and Reading
Railroad. and the leader of the anthracite
coal operators in their recent struggle with
the United Mine Workers IN Eastern Penn
sylvania.
MIR. Baer made a long presentation of tire
operators side of the controversy before
the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission in
Philadelphia yesterday, in which he incor-
porated an orer of settlement to the
miners. In giving a resume of the circum-
Baer took occasion to refer TO the Civic
Federatiou's earnest though futile efforts
10 avert the strike. He made special ailu-
sion to the fact that the federation, after
securing the appointment OF a joint COM
mittee of the operators and miners TO draw
up a report setting forth the contentious
Of each side. never met to hear that re-
port. And he employed bitterly sarcastic
language in making mention of that in
cidcnt.
BAER'S ACCUSATION.
These are the words he used:
a crucial time, when they had heard
our discussions. they did not even
have the small, courtesy to hear the
biiity TO agree. Nor did they have the
manly purpose to meet again and render TO
each Size the services which they pro-
claimed they wanted to render. namely, the
power OF Cancellation and the effort by
honest talk 10 bring them together. But.
for the mere purpose of saving their faces.
for fear no advantage for the time being
could come to the particular interests they
represented, they never convened
Senator Hanna is the leading spirit in the
Civic Federation. a body of public-spirited
men who, by means Of Cancellation, have
prevented many a disastrous strike within
the last two years. 1t is a well-known fact
that this federation resorted TO every means
in its power to avert the coal strike and
failed. according to the popular under
standing. chiefly because President Baer
and the other operators would not listen to
compromise.
When Senator Hanna's attention was
called to that portion of Mr.. Baer's state
ment which has been quoted. he said IN a
tone of emphasis and contempt:
OFFERS EXPLANATION.
81 don't care what Baer says" Then he
added what is quoted at the head Of this
dispatch. that he did not believe the Amer
lean people would give any consideration to
the railroad presidents statement.
The Senator then proceeded to explain
why the Civic Federation did not assemble
to hear the report Of the re-
ferred to.
THE reason We did not meet to hear that
report said Mr.. Hanna, was that we
were advised by one of the railroad presi-
dents that it would be useless. Mr.. Thomas,
president of the Board of Directors of the
Erie Railroad. is the gentleman who ad-
wasting time in assembling and hearing the
report of the committee He explained that
no good would come from it and that the
operators would not yield.
For that reason the federation did not
meet to hear the report. and l repeat that 1
do not care what Mr.. Baer says about it,