New-York tribune., 1908-08-22
CLEVELAND WAS ASKED
Dir. Roosevelt GiUes Facts about
Coal Strike Commission of 1902.

sante,,bar issue President Roosevelt gives the
inside history of the appointment OF the An
thracita Coal Commission which ended the
great strike of 1902 and makes public the corre-
spondence between himself and ex-Presldeht
Cleveland on the subject That a place on the
commission was offered to Mr.. Cleveland ana ac-
cepted before the drift of affairs caused
change in the arbitration board as at first ten
tativeIy agreed on is made plain by the CORE
spondence and the Presidents statements OF
facts. Mr.. Roosevelt was moved to address The
Outlook by an assertion in a private letter oy
the late Henry Looms Nelson to George Har-
yey printed in 'rHarper's Weekly that Mr.
Cleveland was never offered position on this
commission and therefore never accepted it.
Mr.. Roosevelt says:
Mr. Cleveland was offered a position the
commission L originally intended to form 1t,
and accented # ON October 3, 1902, /
held a meeting in Washington between the coal
operators and the strikers to endeavor to get
them to cCme to an agreement or TO submit
their differences to some outside BODY or men
The, strikers were willing do as I suggested,
provided the operators would also consent, but
the operators refused to consent, and on the
whole showed much more violence In the inter
view with me than the strikers did: and these
facts were made public in the papers next day.
by some of the operators themselves mmedi-
ately on seeing them Mr.. Cleveland wrote me
the following letter:
Princeton. October 4. 1892.
My Dear Mr. President:
I read in the paper this morning my way
home from Buzzard's Bay the newspaper account
of what took place yesterday between you and the
parties directly concerned in the coal strike
surprised and stirred up by the position
by the contestants that cannot refrain from
making suggestion which perhaps would not
presume to make If | gave the subject more
thought. I am especially disturbed and vexed by
the tone and substance of the operators deliver
ances
ton to them, cares to stand in their present plight
if any sort of an avenue. even for temporary
Has it ever been proposed to them that the in
dignation and dangerous contemplation now beng
e + uS % 20 PiTne snfcient to serve the Troose
of consumers. leaving the parties to the quarrel
after such necessities met, to take up the tight
again where they left off. without prejudice If
This would eliminate the troublesome consumer
and public and perhaps both operators and miners
would see enough advantage in that to induce them
to listen to such proposition as nave suggested
consistent in all this but my observation leads me
to think that when quarreiiing parties are ooan IN IN
universal they will do strange things to save their
faces.
If you pardon my presumption in thus writing
you. I promise never to do it again At any rate
it may indication of the anxiety felt
by millions of citizens on the subject
I have been quite impressed by a pamphlet have
1 believe '"The Coal Mines and the People. sup
pose you have seen its Very respectfully your
obedient servant. GROVER CLEVELAND.
To the President
ingly radical action against the operators-far
more radical than I took
1 Immediately answered him, describing among
other things the attitude OF the operators at
the conference and their refusal TO consider
what I regarded as Mr.. Mitchells entirely fair
proposition. and continued:
think l shall now tell Mitchell that If the
miners will go back to work viii appoint com
will do whatever in my power lies have the find
ings OF such commission favorably acted upon
to take feel @ the gravest apprehension concerning
the misery pending over so many people this winter
ably will ensue
In a letter on October 10, Mr.. Roosevelt said
further 10 Mr.. Cleveland:
Ny s2rts to get the @ f and f miners h to
ators then asked the miners to go back to
might be met, promising at to appoint such
commission as Mr.. Mitchell had suggested. and
f6e r9 of that N coIamisson adopted
Of course meaning that should do all in my power
acted. we'll as backing up their recoUmendations
Of the miners to entertain this proposition
| shall now direct Carroll D. Wright to make a
Join with him two eminent men-men Of such char
drsT @ m to them @ to any
ment service In all the eountry there us Is no man
ns Would Yours / earnestly beg you to say that
YOU will accept
Mr.. CleveIand's reply to tits was az follows:
Princeton October l.. 1902
Nv Dear Mr.. President:
Since the receipt OF your letter yesterday have
given its subject matter serious consideration
You rightly appreciate my reluctance to assume
any pubic service / am also quite certain that
II nv advice was asked to the eXpedency %
ran,inq me in the connection YOU mention, |
should as a matter of Judgment. not favor it,
7 cannot however with proper difference to your
oninton consider this phase OF the question
10 dIscussion. I have. therefore felt that had
only TO determine whether your request involved
a duty which l ought not to avoid. and whether
nv eneagements and the present demands upon
my time would permit me to undertake Il.
So far as the latter concerned this Is my stu
otjon- | nm 10 take part and something
president Wilson's inauguration on the 25th Inst.
and 7 have agreed to do the same at the opening
of the new building Of the Chamber Of Commerce
in New York the 11th Of November. My prep
ration for the inaugural exercises complete:
but for the other occasion 1t is hardly begun.
ann absurdly slow in such work.
I have no idea of the time which would he
acted by a compliance with your request. nor how
early YOU would expect result from the commits
sion.
I feel so deeply the gravity OF the situation and
so fully sympathize with in efforts to
remedy present sad conditions. that believe Il Is
r,y duty TO undertake the service " can do 50
ard keep the engagements have already made.
This / will leave for your decision--cnly sug-