The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-10
PLEA OF The MINERS
COAL STRIKE COMMISSION Is NOW
HEARING ARGUMENTS.
BAER BECAME EXCITED.
PRESIDENT OF READING COMPANY
WAS BEING TALKED AT.


Directed Remarks at Baer and
sharp COIloquy Followed Argu-
Ruments for and Against Demands
of Union Anthracite Mine Work
erE Will Continue for six Days.
Two Spoke for the Miners and
Advanced Claims of the Union.
Can be No Monopoly of Labor.
Philadelphia, Feb. 9.-ArgUments for
and against the demands of the union
anthracite mine workers, which will
continue before the Coal Strike Com
mission for the next six days, was be-
gun to-day when the miners, through
Daniel J. Mccarthy of Hazleton, made
the opening argument. Mr.. Mccarthy
was followed by ex-Congressman
Brumm of Minersville, who made a
general argument, and Henry Dem
Arrest Lloyd of Chicago, who confined
his efforts to the question of recog-
milton of the union and yearly trade
agreements.
The operators will begin their argu-
ment tomorrow, continuing three
days, and closing with George f. Baer.
president of the Reading Company.
Then Clarence S. barrow of Chicago,
the principal counsel for the miners,
will take up all of Friday, and sat-
urday until adjournment, in summing
up the case, and in answering Presi-
dent Baer. Mr.. Mitchell of the nine;
union is expected here during the
| week Whether ha mill ~ ba
commission depends upon develop
ments. Among those in the court room
was President Baer of the Reading
Company With the, exception of the
opening day in Washington last o.
tober, it is his only visit to the COM
missions hearing so far.
AS soon as the hearing opened Mr..
Mccarthy began his argument. He
made strong plea for a 20 per cent.
increase of the miners wages, saying
| the occupation was a hazardous one,
requiring the expenditure of a great
| deal of energy. He closed with a
glowing eulogy of President John
Mitchell. The subjects of the weishir
of coal, recognition of the union and
the status of non-union men were al
exf1austively handled by Mr.. McCar-
thy. Mr.. Mccarthy spoke for three
| hours.
He was followed by II. D. Lloyd of
| Chicago. Mr.. Lloyd made an elaborats
argument for the trade agreement b.
| tween employer and employees, cit ng
the conditions prevailing in the bitu-
| minous field, where a new scale of
wages had just been agreed upoa.
Plea for the Union.
Continuing, Mr.. Lloyd said. There
| has been no strikes of any Importance
since these relations of negotia tions,
and arbitration, were established,
where the arrangement prevailed. but
there have been very serious strikes
elsewhere. The trade agreement need
not. and does not, interfere with the
employment of nbn-union men. The
mine workers of America have never
gone on strike against the employ
ment of non-union men. The easiest
objection of all to meet is that a mo-
nopoly of labor would be created by
recognizing the union.
There can be no monopoly If nom
union men, as well as union men, are
allowed to work side by side. Your
award by fixing the terms of employ
ment, will remove the special cause
of anger and enmity. 1t is not the
non-union men the unionist fears, but
the 'scabs, the striKe-breakers by
trade, who lives by getting odd jobs
of industrial assassination at high
wages, and loafs between whites on
the theory that 1t is better to have
loafed and lost, than never to have
loafed at all.
The trade agreement has put an
end to sympathetic strikes, and has
created in their place the novel insti-
tuition of sympathetic arbitration
When the masters in this business
make contracts with other capitalists
they insist on full notice, representa-
ton, consideration, and they never
dream of being allowed to manage
more than their side of the bargain
They will insist on all this for them
selves, face about, and make arrange
ments with the miner in which they
refuse him every right of negotiation,
or representation, they claim for them
selves.
1.-THE strike OF last summer was the
Waterloo of capitalistic absolution in
this country. Organized labor never
did civilization a greater service than
when ii whipped this master to a
finish, and settled, let it be hoped, for
the third and last time in America,
that the only business in which there
is one master is slavery, and that in
free business there are as many mas
ters as there are parties"
During Mr.. Lloyd's argument Chair
man Gray interrupted him with this
question:
Those who Don't Loaf.
"What have you to say regarding
the non-union men who prefer to con-
tinue at work through the strike. in
the exercise of the right that they
suppose they have, those who are not
strike breakers and do not loaf be-
tween times %
"Of course, in doing that" Mr..
Lloyd replied, they are strictly with
In their legal rights, but to me they
seem to violate a moral duty of the
highest sanctity which is that a man
must do what he can to help along a
necessary struggle for the elevation
of his own class and of society at
large"
Are such men protected by the
union?"
The union certainly withdraws no
legal protection from them" said Mr..
Lloyd. They are not protected by
the union from being visited with
that obloquy which properly falls up
on a man who will not join In a COM
mon effort for the common good.
shuld class this man precisely with
the Loyalists in the American Revo-
luton. 1 characterize the strike as
an industrial war, as an incident In a
great uprising"
In reply to this, the chairman said:
I'm our theory. there is only one
war-making power. and that is the
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