The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-02-13


for the coal operators today continued
70 arraign the miners union in their
arguments before the anthracite strike
commission.
The Independent operators of the Le-
high, the Wyoming and the Lackawan-
IA regions held the attention Of the
commission during the greater part of
the day, the proceedings concluding
with the reading of the company's ar
gument by Simon P. Wolverton, the
sompany's chief counsel.
In nearly every case the attorneys
charged Presi lent Mitchell with re-
sPonsibili.y for the alleged lawlessness
In the coal regions during the strike
and the union was characterized as an
irresponsible organization whose men,
hers were beyond the control of the
leaders. Dir. Wolvertop strongly urged
the incorporation of the union and
charged that it was unfit to control the
anthracite industry because boys are
numbered among it's members.
the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com
pany, G. B. Mark1e & Co., and other
independent operators in the Lahigh re-
gion- He defended the attitude of the
Larkle company, claiming the finn was
justified in the stand it took against
tts men when the strike was declared
eff, because it had not been a party to
the correspondence resulting in the ap-
pointnent of the commission.
Frances /. GoWen, for the Iehigh
Valley Coal Company suggested that
the commission recommended the es-
tablishment of a shift, consisting of a
certain number of cars to constitute a
days work, the men able to do the
amount of work required to receive an
Increase in wages. Mr.. Gowen CRITICS.
ed the demand for a 20 per cent. in
crease in wages, saying that the union
had no theory regarding the methods
sf the desired increase. He asserted
that 1Ir. Mitchedd had no theory as to
the wages of contract miners on which
the increase was to be based. Mr..
Goven here quoted a witness who had
testified that the average earnings of
miners were between s400, and $3.50
year. Take the average, or the me-
dunn between these figures s425, add
ten per cent. and add to that the twen-
~ per cent. which is now asked and
you will find that that would bring the
miners earnings up to $500 year. And
yet. taking the figures which the La-
high Valley Coal Company has fled
with the commission you will find that
the average OF all the miners who
worked continuously throughout the
year was $685.
Ira ii. Burns, of Scranton, counsel
for the independent operators in the
Lackawanna and Wyoming regions ar
gued principally on the point OF the
right of the individual to control his
swn labor. He said: I'm reality the
contest Is between the American peo-
pie on one side and the union miners
on the other and the issue is to deter
mine whether the people may have
coal. except upon such terms as the
union may prescribe
Attorney H. c. Reynolds presented
further argument for the operators in
the upper region. He dwelt upon the
dangers attending coal mining and
asked the commission to make a find
ing that contract miners be required to
remain IN their working places until
all their cars are loaded.
cdAHUel blchSOn III presenting lnS 0I-
gument for the Lehigh Coal and Navi-
CATION Company. G. B. Markle & Co.
and the independent operators of the
Lehigh region said In part: Nothing
can be more objectionable than the rule
OF the union that the miner shall not
employ more than two laborers. 1t is
OF the utmost Importance for the deveI-
opment of the mines that the work of
driving gangways and airways should
be expedited as much as possible and
except In the membership of a trade
union. it Is not crime for a man to
show himself competent and industri-
GUS. Upon the main question of wheth-
er the wages are sufficient and the
hours of labor reasonable, 1t cannot be
disputed that the weight Of the evil
dence is altogether on the side of the
operators. AS has been often pointed
out. trade union may sometimes Sc
cure an advance in wages sooner, or
delay reduction longer. than the en-
ployees &c left to themselves. but they