The San Francisco call., 1906-04-06
Continued From page 1, Column 3.

1T IS Our duty to make some fur
ther effort and even a sacrifice
of what we believe justly our due
i'll the matter of wages and con
dltions of employment in order
that great public calamity may
be averted.
I Therefore we propose that, sub
Ject to the approval of a conven-
ton OF anthracite nline-workers
which shall be called at the ear
liest date possible, the differences
between us as stated in Our
propositions and your counter
propositions be referred for de-
termination and settlement to
board of arbitration composed of
the present board of conciliation,
provided for in the award of the
Anthracite Coal Strike Commits
sion, with Judge George Gray or
any person he may appoint to act
as chairman and umpire. The
decision of this tribunal or the
majority of members thereof in
SO far as it influences wages to
be effective from April I, 1906,
and to continue in force until
March 81, 1908, such decision to
be final and binding upon all par
ties III interest, the employees of
the anthracite mines, washeries
and breakers to resume work inn
mediately and to continue at
work pending the decisions OF
said board.
John Mitchell, T. D. Nicolls,
William H. Dettrey, John T.
Gallagher, John Fahey, George
Hartlein."
COAL BARONS IN ANSWER
POINT OUT OBJECTIONS
After giving out this statement Presi-
dent Mitchell said:
AS soon as the miners committee made
the proposition to arbitrate this afternoon
the operators asked for the adjournment
to next Monday"
The conference of the subcommittee
lasted less than an hour. and at its con-
clusion the operators held a meeting to
discuss informally the miners offer. Later
in the day they issued the following state
ment:
1t should be observed that in the as
tutely drawn proposition of Mr. Mitchell
and his committee the operators are asked
to submit to arbitration the question of
! the closed shop and the .check-off.' a
scheme requiring, in the words of the
miners committee, that each company
shall collect from each employe such
amounts as may be levied by their or
gan1zation monthly, the amount thus coll
lected at each colHery to be turned over
to an authorized committee at the col
liery'-a plan which would make of every
operator collecting agency on behalf of
the strike fund of the miners. In their
letter of March to the miners commit
tee the operators said concerning the
check-off: AS a matter of policy we would
not make such an agreement as you re-
quest, and as matter of law we are not
permitted to make it,.
"On these two subjects also the anthra-
cite coal commission of 1903, appointed by
President Roosevelt, made the following
vigorous declaration: The right to remain
work, or engage anew in work which 9TH
ers have abandoned, is part of the per-
sonal liberty of citizen that can never
be surrendered. and every infringement
thereof merits and should receive the
stern announcement of the law.
1T should also be observed that Mr..
MitchelPs committee abandons the pro-
posal for a one-year agreement and sug-
gests an arbitration. the terms of which
would expire on April l. 190S-a Presiden-
tial year-thus affording a new opportu-
nifty to make this great industry the foot
ball of politics. The operators had al
ready offered, 1t will be remembered, to
extend the findings of the coal commission
until April /, 1907
BOARD OF CANCELLATION
WHICH MAY DECIDE STRIKE
The operators at their last meeting de-
cided that before they would frame a re-
ply to the miners they would first consult
all interests in order to get the sentiment
of the heads of all the coal-carrying
roads. as well as that of the independent
operators.
The anthracite board of conciliation
consists of six members-three repre-
senting the operators and three the
miners. The members are William L.
Connell OF Scranton, an independent
operator, who is chairman of the board;
Samuel D. Warriner of Wilkesbarre,
general manager OF the Lehigh Valley
Coal Company; w. ]. Richards, second
vice president of the Philadelphia and
Reading Coal and Iron Company and
general manager of it's interests; Will
liam H. Dettrey of Hazelton, president
of district No. z OF the Miners Union.
who is secretary of the board: Thomas
d. Nichols of Scranton, president of