Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-02-27
Xecutive Asks Mitchell and Robbins to
Make Another Effort to Agree.
EXTENDED CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK
Miners President Has Long Talk with
Prominent Soft Coal Operators,
EMPLOYERS WILL MAKE CONCESSIONS
Fact that They Asked that Conven.
ton He Called is RegHrdcd as
Significant ON This
Point.

NEW YORK. Feb. 26.-President Roose-
vel has again interviewed as a peacemaker
q the coal miners and operators and
a. the result OF a letter addressed by him
to John Mitchell. president of the United
Mine Workers of America, a national con-
vention will be held at indianapolis
March 10 TO try to reach an agreement
with the soft coal operators with the hope
OF averttng the threatened strike of April
l in the bituminous coal fields The prcsi-
dents letter and the announcement that
the national convention would he called
were made public today by Mr. Mitchell.
after long conference with Francis L.
Robbins, president of the Pittshurs Coal
company and chairman Of the bituminous
operators who came to New York this
afternoon. Also present at this conference
were w. g. Perry OF the Southwestern Coal
association and r. F. Bush. representing
the soft coal interests allied with the
Gould railroads
The presidents letter to Mr.. Mitchell
follows:
WHITE HOUSE, Washington. Feb. "a
SIR: | note with very great concern the
!aLIure ii nl your late convention on the
lolnt interstate agreement To come to a
basis of settlement of the bitumious mining
scale ot wages. You in this business have
enjoyed "A great industrial peace for many
ment that has resulted in the action OF
your successive conventions.
A strike such as is threatened April l
is menace to the peace and general well
rare OF the country. urge you to make
a further effort to avoid such calamity.
You and Mr.. Robbins are Joint chairlnen
Of the trade agreement committee OF tho
National Civic federation. and II seems to
me that this imposes additional duty upon
you both and gives additional reason
why each OF you should join IN making
a further effort Very respectfully.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The conference did not adjourn until
nearly O'Clock tonight. when MI. Mitchell
announced that after the reading of Presi-
dent Roosevelt's letter it was agreed by
both himself and the opera tors that the
national convention should be called. The
miners were i'm session recently at Indian
apolis, but failed to reach an agreement
with the operators. President Mitchell
himself has been quoted as saying that
so far as he knew there certainly would
be strike in the bitriminous fields April ].
work on Hard Coal Scale.
The negotiations for an agreement be-
tween the hard coal workers and the an
thracite operators have been progressing
smoothly to all outward appearances and
arrangements have been made for joint
conference Wednesday between the sub
committees having the settlement Of the
differences in hand
With the anthracite negotiations we'll
under way President Mitchell has been
devoting most of his time to bringing
about settlement OF the differences in the
soft coal regions. Mr.. Mitchell has not
announced any details of today's confer
ence, nor did he say Just when the call
for the convention which will fix the place
of meeting will be sent out. March 15 he
believes. is the earliest date the convention
can be summoned and he believes that IL
there is to be peace. the two weeks between
the date fixed for the miners assembly
and April l, when the present agreement
with the operators expires. is sufficient
time to bring about the desired result. Mr.
Mitchell would not indicate what new
propositions will be placed before tho
miners but significance is attached to his
statement that the operators at today's
conference agreed that the convention
! should be called. Concessions. maybe on
| both sides, may he offered. and President
Roosevelts interest in the situation may
be held as an additional reason for bring
Ing about a new agreement
Justi stiu Expects Strike.
SPRINGFIELD. H.. Feb. 9s.-Herman
Justi, counsel for the Illinois Coal Opera
tors association, gave out the following
statement today with regard to the state
ment made Sunday by 7. i. Lewis vice
president of the Mine Workers Of America,
TO the effect that there would be no strike
on April l. He said:
'Inasmuch neither our association nor
the executive board has held any meeting
since January S. and inasmuch as the asso-
citation at that time unanimously indorssd
the action of the national scale COMMITTEES
in refusing to accede to the demands OF the
miners made upon the operators for an ad-
vance in wages, the statement of Vice
President Lewis is most extraordinary and
inexplcable II looks TO me like a shrewl
maneuver, designed to stop the laying I'm
Of supplies of coal by large consumers hop
ing thereby 10 create scarcity OF coal on
April l. and thus render practicable, IL pos
sible, Mr. Lewis scheme 10 paralyze the in
dustries OF the country and thus bring pros
sure OF public opinion To bear upon the np-
| ara IN pou1naIlfppr tn oil 1.