The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-17
MINERS MOVING FOR PEACE.
WILL ASK LITTLE MORE THAN
OPERATORS HAVE OFFERED.

Anthracite Committee Decides Inanl-
mOuSly for Conservative ActiOn- BE
luminous Demand Merely for Restora-
ton or 100 Scale-DOlan Gets q Seat.
INDIANAPOLIS, March 18,-The most inn
portant development of the United Nine
Workers convention to-day was the further
outlining Of the policy of the national off1-
GERS, which makes it certain that every step
now to he taken will be in the direction OF
conservatism
The leaders nave felt that public sym
pathy has not been with them In the de-
mands made by the January convention.
and both in the East and West President
Mitchell has found that a decided feeling
existed that the miners we're asking too
much and that the operators we're July
justified in refusing their demands.
The n object of the miners is now to get
the public on their side, and to do this the
bituminous scale committee will W Its
demands till only a restoration of the scale
Of 1908 Is asked for, while the anthracite
scale committee in it's reply to the opera
tors refusal will abandon every demand
with the possible exception of recognition
OF the union and an eight hour day.
While an increase in the anthracite wage
scale will also be asked for, it will be moor
porated to be abandoned, with a view to
making it appear that the miners are making
sacrifices to maintain peace.
The thirty-six members of the committee
that formulated the demands presented to
the anthracite mine owners were in con-
sultation with President Mitchell last night
and to-day, and it was unanimously agreed
to reply to the refusal of the operators in a
spirit Of Cancellation and attempt to reopen
the negotiations which the refusal would
seem to have rendered entirely useless.
Some members OF the committee favored
ordering a strike at once in the anthracite
fields. but President Mitchell and District
President Nichols appealed for delay, and
after several hours OF argument a majority
reply be written. Later this action was
unanimously approved. 1t is the plan now
to nave a meeting with the anthracite
operators in New York az soon as the Joint
conference hero adjourns.
Francis l.. Robbins. president Of the Pitts
! burg Coal Company, who is charged by the
| operators with having tricked President
Roosevelt into writing a letter counselling
peace, reached here to-day and went at
once to the private room OF President
Mitchell, where he and the miners leader
were in consultation for more than an
hour. ,,
When the time name for the assembling Of
the convention Mitchell sent word that he
could not be present.
In the meantime he and Robbins were
closeted together and no one was permitted
to enter. From questions asked by Robbins
after the conference, it is inferred that
Mitchell told hiIu of the feeling against him
among the Western operators, for ne spoke
at once of the erroneous reports that had
been circulated and the friction they had
caused among he operators.
He denied emphatically that ne had been
impelled to oveTtuTes for a settlement by
| the United States Steel Corporation, and
said that his contract with it contained n
strike clause which covers such d situation
as might arise from suspension OF mining.
He decla red that all the steps ne had taken
were OF his own initiative and he alone was
responsible for them.
When the committee on credentials
made a further report this afternoon the
name of Patrick Dolan was in the list of
delegates, but on motion the report was
divided and his admission was voted on
separately. There vas opposition to seating
him, but Mitchell and other national Of
fcers argued in his favor and he was seated
az a delegate, az was also District Vice
President ~Bellingham.
The scale committee appointed by Nit
chell contains representatives of he South
western miners, who are VIGOROUSLY IN
favor Of peace, and it is argued hat this
means that more conservative demands
will be made upon the operators. All the
Indications point to the committee re-
porting a scale simply demanding that the
SIS per cent. reduction made. two years
< be restored, and it is also plain that the
convention will adopt the report and send
the committee into conference with the
operators with this demand as the only
bar to peace.