Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-01
penIaIs Are Made

General denials are made of the con-
spiracy charges in the answer OF the
Reading company and lnat of the railway
company.
The answer of the coal and iron COM
pany takes up the strike OF 1900 and
says that Substantially all the work
men in the anthracite regions abandoned
their work under the force and effect OF
violence, turbulence al d intimidation. and
the employees and workmen of this de-
fendant and others In the same neighbor-
hood who were induced or compelled
by like violence, turbulence and intimi-
dation to abandon their employment"
The answer goes on to say that Shortly
afterwards it was represented In sub
stance to the officials of this defendant
and the representatives of other mining
companies by one Marcus A. Hanna,
chairman of the Republican national COM
mittee. in the pending political CAM
paign, for the election of candidates for
psa ssident and vice-president Of the United
States, that If the said strike should not
be speedily settled by an advance iF the
wages of the workmen in and about the
r3fIles IN 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 endangered.
TfAt Mr.. Hanna represented the COM
pany, that he was authorized to settle
the strike through President Mitchell, IL
the operators would agree to give their
workmen 10 per cent increase in wages.
1t is set forth that the company did agree
to advance the wages of its mine and
colliery workmen 10 per cent. and with
other principal mine owners, who had
been In conference with Mr. Hanna, had
agreed to the same concession.
Forced Into Agreement
1T was stated that thereafter confer
ences were held between the officials or
representatives of the principal mine op-
orators who had heretofore offered the
said advance in wages and the repre-
sentatives of the principal mine oper-
ators.
The defendants was obliged to agree
with certain operators severally, with
whom it had pre-existirg contracts for
the purchase of coal to be produced by
them respectively. and who were sew
orally the tenants or lessees of the de-
PENDANTS, to enter into new cont -e.ets
with such as should desire to do so, In
creasing the prices to be paid for the coal
to be produced by them respectively and
to be sold and delivered to the defend
ants.''sA
Continuing the answer avows that all
the conferences between the operators
and the contractors We're wholly brought
about, compelled and forced upon this de-
fendant by the turbulence. violence and
intimidation aforesaid by the failure of
the government of the United States and
that of the commonwealth Of Pennsyi-
vania to enforce the laws to protect this
defendant and it's workmen in the peace
full and lawful prosecution OF their work
1,xr fho Of fo cof6
Hanna IN the supposed exigencies Of
the pending political campaign, thereby
this defendant was obliged most unwill-
ingly to buy its peace and the peace
and protection of its workmen by the ad-
vance In wages. and which said confer
ences were in no way In the least in
duced by the motive or the alleged unlaw-
ful result so Indefinitely alleged and
set forth in the plaintiffs allegations.