New-York tribune., 1906-05-10
4" NOT MINERS VICTORY"
OPERATORS TO MITCHELL.
Had No Intention of Decreasing
Wages or Increasing Hours.

me anthracite operators decided yesterday
tIlat one Of the assertions made by President
MitcheH OF the United Mine Workers in his
speech at the convention of the anthracite min
ers IN Scranton Tuesday warranted a reply
This was passage in which Mitchell sought to
snow that. after all, the mine workers had
gained a victory
The operators say that there is nothing to
show that the miners gained anything from
Mtchells agitation. and that their five weeks
Of idleness were useless. On behalf of the Op
orators committee of seven a statement on
this matter made last evening 1t begins
by quoting the passage in MtchelTs speech re-
ferred to, in which he says:
Last summer I made tour through this re-
SION to ~ urged the mine workers to come back
I sIe 0GGeanization At that time there were
only o4,OOO members. At the close of that tour
there were 10000 members in the organization
Had that tour not been made there would have
peen reduction in wages, according to reliable
information that l have in my possession. My
information is that the railroads were ready to
increase the working day from nine TO ten
nours. 10 require the engineers to work seven
days in the week and to require hremen to work
twelve hours instead Of eight. If this is true,
then we have won victory.
The statement of the operators then goes on:
1t is important that there should be no mis-
understanding on this point. The fact is that
none os the operators had the slightest inten-
tion of reducing wages or of increasing the
ienStn OF the working day. On the contrary, II
the men had been left at work. and if the agita-
tion of which Mr. Mitchell so proudly boasts
had not taken place. the men would not have
been idle for six weeks much lawlessness would
not have occurred and the public would not
have been disturbed by this wholly unnecessary
controversy.
1t is douby unfortunate. Also that the con-
vention should have condemned the state con-
stabulary. for a cursory examination of facts
will show that this organization performed its
duties most carefully and moderately Not a
shot was fired or a stroke welded except tO>pTO-
tect life or property which had been wantony
attacked. This brave corps of men-organized
upon the specific recommendation of President
Roosevelts Coal Commission-should receive the
thanks of every law abiding citizen for its con-
duct during these weeks of trial and difficulty.
1t was further stated on behalf of the oper-
ators that there was no need for the dealers to
wait for coal to be mined in May to get the May
reduction of 40 cents ton domestic anthra-
cite. The Reading Company. whose surplus
had hardly been touched since the suspension
of work. was selling from it's surplus at the
usual May prices. 1t was also asserted that any
dealer could get coal at these rates without
waiting for circulars from the companies.
The Manhattan dealers appeared to be still
waiting for official notification from the COM
panies yesterday They said they expected to
be informed at once and by the end of the week
would fix the May retail price, which would be
So 10 ton, the price charged in Brooklyn.
Meanwhile they are trying to get rid of their
coal at Sc % ton
A great drop has taken place in the price Of
soft COAL owing to the anthracite settlement,
and the soft coal market stagnant yester-
day. With the mining Of anthracite there will
be enough Of the small steam sizes. Of which
soft coal is a competitor. Independent of the
coal in these sizes which the companies are re-
leasing from their surplus.