The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-09-02
MAKE G[NERALDEN|AL
Companies Assert No Anthracite
Monopoly Exists.
ANSWER TO FEDERAL E: SUIT 1T
Declered Agreements TO Advance the
Price Of Coal Were Brought About
by Violence and Intimidation Of
Strikers and Other Causes.


Strikers and Other Causes.
Philadelphia, Sept. 2.-The Reading
company, the Philadelphia and Read
ing Railway company and the Phila-
delphia and Reading Coal and Iron
company have filed their answers to
the suit of the federal government to
break up the alleged monopoly exist
ing in the anthracite cGIl regions Of
this state. The answers of the three
concerns, of which George F. Baer is
president, make a general denial of
the governments allegations and go
into the first great strike in the hard
coal fields and it's relation to the pres
idential campaign Of 1900 when Nc
kinley was elected.
It is declared that the agreements
to advance the price Of coal were
brought about in 1900 by the violence
and intimidation of the striking mine
workers, by the failure Of the United
States government and the state of
Pennsylvania to enforce the law and
protect the coal companies and the i'm
portunities of the late Marcus A. Han
ma, who, it is alleged, was anxious to
end the strike of the miners on &C
count Of the impending presidential
election.
General denials are made of the con-
spiracy charged in the answer of the
Reading company and that Of the rail-
way company. The answer of the
Coal and Iron company takes up the
strike of 1900 and says that substan-
TALLY all the wOrkmen in the anthra-
cite regions abandoned their work I'M
der the force effect of violence, turbu-
lence and intimidation and the EN-.
plOyer and wOrkmen of this defendant
and others in the same neighborhood
were induced or compelled by like VIC
lence, turbulence and intimidation to
abandon their employment.
Hanna Makes Representations.
The answer goes on to say that
"shortly afterwards it was represent
ed, in substance, to the officials Of this
defendant and representatives of other
mining companies by one Marcus A,
Hanna, acting as chairman of the Re-
publican national committee, in the
then pending political campaign for
the election Of candidates for presi-
dent and vice president of the United
States, that If the said strike should
in the wages Of the workmen in and
about the entire anthracite region the
strike would extend to the states of
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois and that the
election Of Mr.. Mckinley and Mr..
Roosevelt would be thereby endan.
gered.
The answer declares that Mr. Hanna
represented to the officials Of the com
pany that he was authorized to settle
the strike through President Mitchell
OF the Miners union if the operators
would agree to give their workmen a
10 per cent increase in wages.
It is set forth that the company did
agree to advance the wages of it's
mine and colliery workmen 10 per
cent and that the other principal mine
owners who had been in conference
with Mr.. Hanna had agreed to the
same concession.
Continuing, the answer AYERS that
all the conferences between the oper-
ators and the contracts which resulted
therefrom "were wholly brought about,
compelled and forced upon this de-
PENDANT by the turbulence, violence
and intimidation aforesaid, by the fail
ure of the government Of the United
States and that of the commonwealth |
of Pennsylvania
To Enforce the Laws
to protect this defendant and its work.
men in the peaceful and lawful pros
ecution of their work and by the i'm
portunities of the said Hanna in the
Bsssss6s "a sEsspBss5zsrs.