The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-11-30
PRESIDENT WILSON
NAMES COMMITTEE
TO ARBITRATE FOR
ENDING OF STRIKE
Would Stop the Strike of Miners in
Colorado Fields Hopes Opera
tors of Mines Will Take Diff
ferent Position From
Their Former One

Washington, November 29-President
VI iIson tonight nn- ounced appointment
OF Seth Low of New York. Charles w.
Mills of Philadelphia, md Patrick GIL
doy of CIearffeId, Pa, as a commission
through which future diHerenccs be-
tween Colorado coal operators and
their striking employees may be set
tied.
The commission. officials explained, was
not to deal with the existing differences
which have caused rioting and bloodshed
in Colorado. Hywel Davies and w. r..
Fairely. the conciliators who have been
attempting for several months to settle
the strike will continue in their efforts
to have the operators and miners agree
In a statement the President expressed
1.-THE very earnest and sincere hope that
the parties may see 1t not merely to their
own best interests. but also duty which
they owe to the communities they serve
and to the nation itself. to make use Of
this instrumentaIity of peace and render
a strike of the kind which has threatened
the order and prosperity of the great state
of Colorado a thing of the past
Appointment of such a commission was
contemplated in the plan for temporary
settlement of the strike proposed by the
President several months, ago and ac-
cepted by the miners, but rejected by the
operators.
To Attempt Settlement
The President announced tonight that
the commission will place themselves "at
the service alike of the miners and the
operators of the mines of Colorado in
case controversy between them should in
the future develop circumstances which
would render mediation the obvious way
| of peace and just settlement"
! Mr.. Wilson added that merely to with
draw the federal troops and let the sisua-
tion clear and settle itself would seem
| to be to be doing something less than my
| duty after all that has occurred He
| Colorado to withdraw tn etroops from
some of the districts, and will discuss the
| some of the districth, and will discuss the
question with Secretary Garrison of the
war department this week.
| "The strike has now lasted for IL
months, has attracted the attention of
! the whole country and has been accom-
panied by many distressing and tragical
circumstances" the Presidents statement
continues. ''The mediation of the govern
ment of the United States was offered
| early in the struggle, but the operators
| of the mines were unwilling to avail them
selves of it. 1t became necessary to send
| federal troops to the district affected by
| the strike in order to preserve the peace,
but their presence could of itself accom-
plish nothing affirmative.
Regrets Operators Position
after long waiting, therefore. / ven
tured to propose a plan for temporary
| settlement. The plan seemed to me OBJ
| viously fair and sensible. The striking
miners promptly accepted IT: but the MIN,
! operators rejected it, SAYING in .respons,
TO my earnest appeal that they objected
to its most essential features, namely
the proposed arrangements by which tn,
miners might state their grievances
through a committee appointed by tn,
President of the United States. | thinl
the country regretted their decision ant
was disappointed that they should hav,
/ taken SO uncompromising a position.
| 81 have waited and hoped for chang,
in their attitude, but now fear that there
will be none.
Il have. therefore. determined to ap
point the commission contemplated in tht
plan of temporary settlement notwith
standing the rejection of that plan by tn,
mine operators, in the very earnest ant
sincere hope that both parties may see /
to be not merely to their own best inter
est. but also a duty which they owe tt
the communities they serve and to tn,
nation itself to make use of this instru
mentality of peace"