The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-04
HARD COAL MEN MEET IN VAIN
LISTENTO METCHELL,
BUT CONCEDE NOTHING.
Adjournment Taken at Miners Request
to Thursday-'"Talk, Talk. Talk - Says
Baer Of the M~eetins-No Suggestion
From the Men OF Amy Modined Demand

from inc MEN OF ANY LOANED Demands
AT the meeting yesterday between the
anthracite coal operators and John Mitch
ellis committee Of seven representing the
miners Mitchell repeated every one Of
the demands which President Baer in
his letter Of March ~ refused on the part
Of the operators to grant.
The meeting yesterday lasted a little
less than three hours. 1t was absolutely
u~nproductive of results except that 1t
showed that the operators had not receded
from the position taken by Mr.. Baer in
his letter on the ground that all Of the ques-
ions raised had been settled by the An
thracite Strike Commission after a long
discussion.
Mr.. Mitchell and his associates did prao-
tically all OF the talking. They offered
no notifications of the demands and mons
was suggested by the operators, Finally,
after three hours talk, and when IL had
been made pretty clear TO Mitchell that
the operators were still of the same mind,
Mitchell asked for an adjournment until
/ O'Clock tomorrow, which was granted.
The purpose of this Adjournment ap-
parently was to give Mitchell a nance to
report the attitude of the opera tors to the
miners scale committee of t~hirty-siX rnem-
bers, which is quartered at the Ashland
House. This was done at a meeting there
last night. The fact that Mitchell asked
for the adjournment was thought by some
to indicate that the miners intend to submit
some notifications tomorrow, but this
Mitchell and his associates denied.
That yesterdays meeting was absolutely
f~ruitless was indicated pretty closely in a
statement made by Mr.. Baer late in the
afternoon as he was leaving the Central
Building at 14s Liberty street, where the
meeting was held, He said
There was nothing done but talk, talk,
talk. Mr.. Mitchell and his friends talked at
great length without coming to any prac-
teal point at all. They talked of the brother
hood of man, of the rights Of the working
people, but they didn't propose anything"
"Did they suggest any notifications in
their d~emands?" Mr.. Baer was asked.
They suggested nothing. 1t was simply
a general talk. The operators had nothing
to say. We came here to hear what the
men had to say. OF course we might have
asked a few questions. They told a lot of
stories and made a long general talk. Then
| dU MI. NllJtIci . buBBtbbIoh ali uhI'hihT
ment was taken until Thursday"
Mr.. Baer, in reply to another question,
said that the suspension order, he believed,
would continue.
1T wasn't mentioned at all. In fact
nothing practical was mentioned" he said.
There was no modification on either side"
The meeting began at noon and lasted
until nearly 8 O'Clock. Those present
were Messrs. Baer, Truesdale, Kerr, Will
Jams. Wilcox, Thomas and Cake, repre-
senting the operators, and Messrs. Mitchell.
Fahy, HARLEM, Dettrey, Gallagher, Nichols
and Dempsey, representing the miners.
Mitchell said when he arrived that he had
no objection to the meeting being a public
one. When Mr.. Baer asked him about this
just as the meeting was about to be called
Mitchell said that he had only been joking.
When they got inside Mr.. Thomas was
elected chairman, and then Mr.. Mitchell
made a long speech, going overall the argu-
ments made in his letter to Mr.. Baer in
support Of the seven demands made by the
union. These are; An agreement with
the United Mine Workers Of America for
one year, an eight hour day, a uniform
scale Of wa ges, an increase of 10 per cent.
to all men working under contract and an
additional 10 per cent. to all using safety
lamps, the weighing of coal, the Hcheck
off" system, and the reconstruction of the
board of Cancellation, giving the miners
more representation. He contended that
all these demands should be granted. Dis
triot President Nichols also made a long
speech on the same lines.
In the conversation at the meeting
Mitchell was asked if these demands were
not equivalent to demanding the closed
shop In the anthracite regions, This was
denied by the miners, but they did not
recede from their position that the "check
off, system should be established, which,
according to the operators, virtually
amounts to the same thing, as it imposes
a tax on every mine for the support Of the
union and makes the companies the COL
lectors. There was no suggestion of ar
bitration by either side, and when the con-
ference adjourned the position on both
sides was exactly the same as before it took
place.
"We have simply no indication Of what
the outcome will be-, said President Trues-
dale after the meeting. "We have simply
adjourned at his request TO meet again on
Thursday"
Mitchell and his committee left imme-
diately for the Ashland House after the
meeting. TIL members Of the operators
committee had luncheon together before
separating. Mitchell refused absolutely
to discuss what had taken place at the
meeting.
As soon as Mitchell reached the hotel
he shut himself in his room and refused
to be interviewed.
The miners at the Ashland House were
continually getting reports from the coal
fields yesterday as to the number of men at
work. They said that those received earlier
in the day show that Of the 10000 men
employed only a few hundred were work.
ing, and those were at the Oxford colliery,
which is on a cooperative plant.
Mitchell at the Ashland House last night
gave out a letter which he received from
Gov. Pennypaoker Of Pennsylvania. The
letter was addressed to him and to Presi-
dent Baer and was dated March 81. 10
read:
GENTLEMEN. The Commonwealth Of
Pennsylvania expects that every reason
able effort will he made To accommodate
the diferenoes between the coal Operators