Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-03-16
OPERATORS OBJECT
TO Intervention
ACTION ON COAL STRIKE BY
PRESIDENT WILL BE MOST
UNWELCOME.
OWNERS ANXIOUS FOR
SETTLED CONDITIONS
Willing to Continue Under Award of
Commission for Three More Years
Take Long Chances in Making
Offer, They Declare.

| New York, March 14-Plain intima-
lions are made by the anthracite coal
operators that Intervention by third
parties in the settlement of the hard
coal situation will be most unwelcome,
| and that they and the miners shoul3
be permitted to work out the problem
now confronting them without outside
| influences.
The operators, in making these ex-
pressions, refer to the indicated inter-
vention of President Roosevelt when
the time arrives, and it is evident that
| the miners will lay down their tools
April 1.
| The operators state that they sub
mitted to intervention three years ago
and abided by the award of strike
commission with the hope that it
would establish relations that would
be continued for not only three years,
but longer period of time.
Intervention Regarded Useless.
Since the miners are not apparently
sion's award, the operators state that
Intervention would be purposeless, as
1t cannot offer more effective mode
| OF settlement than it did three years
ago.
CAS- matter of fact said a coal
president, "the questions that should
have been settled by the award and
were settled from our point of view
evidently were not settled to the sat
isfaction of the miners, for their de-
mands have reopened all of them
| again. We do not want strike, and
! we would avoid it. We are willing to
| continue under the commission s
award for another term of three
years."
Want Settled Conditions.
What we are trying to do and that
which we think will be most to the
advantage of the miners, the public
and ourselves, is to establish and
maintain settled conditions in the an
thracite field.
"Once these questions are effectually
settled the anthracite industry will be
conducted in the future harmonious
ly and without these disturbing diff
ferences' between the employer and
employee, which have caused such fire.
quent annoyance and distress to the
public in the past and unsettled in
dustrial conditions"
Fear Even Present Scale.
New York, March 14.-The follow
Ing statement on behalf of the anthra.
i MI
has been given out:
'Mr. Baer has received Mr.. Mitch
ellis acknowledgment of the answer by
the operators committee to the propo-
sition made by the committee of the
anthracite mine workers with advice
that the same would be submitted tc
the miners committee as soon as pos
sible. The operators think that they
are taking long chances in even offer.
Ing to continue the present condition
for three years longer. This offer was
based on the possibility that the bust
ness prosperity which characterized
the last three years will continue
There is no certainty of this, as any
time within the next three years de.
preston in business may take place
which may lessen the demand for coal
and in carrying out this contract tht
operators may be placed at serious
disadvantage"
Coal dealers declare there is an un
certainty in their minds as to whether
there will be a bituminous strike. 4
hard coal strike looked more likel.
than it did week ago. The probabl,
Withdrawing of the customary reduc
ton in prices of domestic anthracite
during the summer will mean virtual
ly, it is said, an increase in the price
Mitchell Expects Strike.
Indianapolis, Ind, March AT
looks very much as though the oper
ators are looking for strike" sal,
John Mitchell, president of the Unite,
Mine Workers, commenting on the an
swer of the anthracite operators to tn
demands of the miners. Mr.. Mitchell
expressed the hope, however, that tn
bituminous situation, at least, woul
be clarified by the coming conference
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