The Grit-advocate., 1906-03-02
|T0 AVERT STRIKE
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT APPEALS
TO JOHN MITCHELL.
MINERS WILL MEET AGAIN
Convention Will be Held March 18th
Mitchell Confers With Leading
Coal Operators.

Coal Operators.
New York.-President Roosevelt has
again interviewed as a peacemaker be-
tween the coal miners and operators.
and as the result of a letter ad-
dressed by him to john Mitchell presi-
dent of the United Mine Workers OF
America, a national convention of the
united miners will be held at Indian
apolis March 18th to try to reach an
agreement with the soft coal opera
tors. in the hope of averting the threat
ened strike of April 1st in the btu
minous fields.
The Presidents letter and the an
nOuncement that the national conven-
tion would be called were made pub
lie Monday by Mr.. Mitchell after a
long conference with Francis l.. Rob
bins, president of the Pittsburg Coal
Company, and chairman of the btu
| minous operators.
Also present at this conference were
| W. c. Perry of the Southwestern Coal
| Association, and b. F.. Bush, represent
| ing the soft coal interests allied with
the Gould railroads. The Presidents
letter to Mr. Mitchell follows:
Il note with very great concern tho
| failure of your late convention on the
| joint interstate agreement to come to
a basis of settlement of the bitumin-
Gus mining scale of wages. You in
| this business have enjoyed great in
| duStrial peace for many years, thanks
| to the joint trade agreement that has
| resulted in the action of your success
| siye conventions.
"A strike such as is threatened on
| April 1st is menace to the peace and
S.,-,1 Nf : h., NJ I
you to make further effort to avoid
such a calamity.
You and Mr. Robbins are joint
chairmen of the trade agreement com
mittee of the National Civic Fedora
| ton, and it seems to ME that this i'm
| poses additional duty upon you both
and gives an additional reason why
each of you should join in making a
| further effort. Very respectfully.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
The conference did not adjourn until
nearly s O'Clock at night. when Mr..
| Mitchell announced that after the
reading of President Roosevelts letter
it was agreed both by himself and the
| operators that the national convention
should be called. The miners were in
session recently at indianapolis, but
| failed to reach an agreement with the
operators President Mitchell himself
has been quoted as saying that SO far
as he knew there would certainly be
strike in the bituminous fields
April 1st.
With the anthracite negotiations
well under way President Mitchell has
been devoting most of his time to
bringing about a settlement of the diff.
ferences in the soft coal regions
Mr. Mitchell has not announced any
details of the conference. March 18th
he believes is the earliest date the con
vention can be summoned, and he be
lieves that if there is to be peace the
two weeks between the date fixed for
the miners assembly and April 1st,
when the present agreement with the
| operators expires, is sufficient time to
bring about the desired result.
Concessions on both sides may be
offered and President Roosevelts in.
torest in the situation will be held al
an additional reason for bringing
about a new agreement.