The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-12
PLAN OF MINERS
PLAINLY DECLINED
Operators COldly Declare They
Will Not Submit to
"MOb Law
COUNTER PROPOSITION IS
MADE TO THE UNION
Another Conference of the Sub
Committees VIII Be Held
Thursday

NEW YORK. April 1.-THE anthracite
operators. at their conference with the
mine workers here today, declined the
proposition to have the Cancellation boa rd
arbitrate all grievances submitted by the
wage workers, and made a counter pro-
posal that the commission appointed by
President Roosevelt In 1902 be requested
to decide whether any hanges in condI-
tions I'm the hard coal region have oc-
CURED which require that the award OF
the commission should be modified.
Inquiry Limited.
The mine owners limited the inquiry TO
two grlevances-wages and a method for
the adjustment OF complaints. The
miners have taken the proposal under
consideration. and may give the operators
an answer on Thursday, when another
conference between the subcommittee
OF the parties will be held In the mean
time the miners committee of thirty-sIx
will hold sessions and agree on q reply.
and the operators Will remain idle await
Ing developments.
Will Not Surrender.
In connection with todnys conference
George +. Baer. chairman of the mine
owners sub b-committec, made public
letter sent TO the committee by the In
dependent operators, In which they gave
their Views and express their firm con-
Niction that any agreement to arbtratc
with the United Mine Workers Will be
an unjustnable surrender to anarchy and
mob violence"
The letter came as a great surprise TO
the miners. and did not tend to bring the
contending parties closer together.
Still Far Apart.
Notwithstanding. the fact that both
parties to the controversy are now com
mltted to arbitration. they are still
far apart, but confidence is expressed
on all sides that q peaceful settlement
Will be brought about. The old tribunal
Will be accepted by President Mitchell II
he can Induce the coal companies to
Widen the scope OF the submission to be
made.
The meeting today was very brief. and
1t later was announced that another meet
Ing would be held on Thursday. The
answer OF the operators was then made
public 1t Is as follows;
Don't Like Proposal.
Your proposal as we understand. even
involves the submission by US of the ques-
ton OF our making an agreement with
the United Mine Workers of America to
n question which we did not submit to
the anthracite strike commission. for rea-
sons then stated. I'm which we were fully
justified by that commission.
Cannot Assent.
I'VE cannot assent to reopen the funda-
mental questions decided by tho anthra-
cite strike commission. They have formu-
lated principles and rules OF right to gov
ern the relations between employee and
employer which have received the hearty
assent OF all good citizens OF the land,
Moreover, the decision OF these ques-
tlons necessarily involved the further and
most important one OF all. that Is, increase
In the price OF coaI to the consuming pub
a hnnrl arbitration
largely of your representatives and ours.
would hardly be considered by the public
a proper one to pass on this question"
The reply is signed by George f Bncr,
w II Truesdale. J d. Kerr David Will
cox Morris Williams. +. b Thomas J.
l.. Cake, committee New York. April .,
1896.
Might Ask Reduction.
dent Mitchell asked whether, under the
plan. the anthracite operators would have
the privilege OF asking the commission TO
reduce present wages, and hc was IT.
they had. in reply to another question.
he was told thnt II the operators plan Is
accepted the hrst offer of the coal com
TanIes 10 renew and continue for three
years the award OF the strike commission
would collapse.
Members Of Commission.
The members Of the commission are
Judge George Gray. United States Circuit
court Wilmington. Del: Carroll ID
Wright, former United States commission
er OF labor. and now president OF Clark
college. Worcester, Mass. Brig Gen. John
NJ Wilson, retired. L. s. A.. Washington.
d. c.. Bishop John l. Spalding. Peoria;
Edgar +. Clark Cedar Rapids, la. grand
chief oil the order OF Railway Conductors:
Thomas II Watkins, Scranton. Pa, form
erly an anthracite coal operator but now
u large producer OF soft coal In Central
Pennsylvania; Edward w. Parker, expert
statIstiCinn. Washington.
If the strike commission Is called to set
lie the dispute II is not probable that
Bishop Spaldlng will be able to serve as
he Is said to have just passed through a
serious Illness
President Mitchell did not know that
the independent operators had sent
communication to the presidents OF the
ton He first learned /, after returning
TO his headquarters at the Ashland house
but would not comment on 1t at this time
The letter. which was given out at the
same time the operators arbitration
proposition was made public, is as fol-
lows,
Mines Better Be Idle.
"NSf contend that 1t would be better
that our mines shall lie idle for years than
that we should accede to the highway
Inan-like demands of an organization that
lacks either the wish or the ability to
restrain It's members from acts of Vio-
lcnce that would disgrace the much-de-
splsed Russia"
The independents wrote that II the
operators committee could decide. in
AeRRR HaP a In "A AngED