Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-12-23
Test of Presidents Letter
Appointing Coal Commission

WASHINGTON, Dee. 20.-The
text of President Wilson's 1eUte.
to Henry M. Robinson, identical
with those sen: Jonn p. White
and Rembrandt Paala, TIE other
two members of the coal COM
mission appointed today, fol-
lows:
My Dear Mr.. Robinson:
On October &, 1917, with the
official approval and sanction of
the United States Fuel Admins
tration, an agreement (stnce
known as the washington Wage
Agreement) was entered into be-
tween the operators and the
union miners and mine workers
of the. so-called Central com
petitive bituminous coal fields
composed of Western Pennsylva-
MIA, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois,
which provided fer an increase
in the production of bituninous
coal and an increase in wages to
the miners ana mine workers
from the then existing. scale of 81.
LIOll. llC 1eo CO11tSaS
contained the following clause:
Subject 20 the next biennial
convention Of the United Mine
Workers of Antsr. ca, the mine
workers representatives aGre9
that the present contrac: be en-
tended during the continuation
of the war and not ID exceed
two years from April ] tJlS.'
subsequently, Or January 10,
1918, this agreement was APP
proved by the convention of the
International Union United Mine
Workers of America.
so Per Cent False Asked
At the fourth biennial con-
vention of the international Tn
ion United Mine Workers of
America, he'd in Cleveland, Ohio,
from September to September
%, 1919, the so-called scale COM
mittee submitted a report rec
ommending among other things,
that the convention demand a
sixty per cent increase appli-
cable to all classifcations of day
labor and to all tonnage, yardage
and dead work rates throughout
the central competitive field; that
all new wage agreements replac-
ing existing agreements should
be based on a six-hour work
day from bank to bank, five days
per week; the abolition Of all
automatic penalty clauses; that
all contracts in the bituminous
field should be declared to eX-
pire on November /, 1919; AMI
that Gin the event a satisfac
tory wage agreement is not Sc
cured for the central competi-
tive field before November 1,
1919, to replace the one now in
effect, the international officers
be authorized to and are here
by instructed to call a general
strike of all bituminous miners
and mine workers throughout
the United States, the same to
become effective November /,
1919"
Conferences Foil
Subsequently conferences were
held between representatives of
the operators and of the miners,
at which the miners demands
were submitted and declined on
the part of the operators. The
officers of the international un-
ion, United Mine Workers of
America, then issued so-called
strike orders TO all Of their To-
cal unions and members, requir-
ing them to cease work in the
mining of bituminous coal at
midnight on Friday, October 81.
On October Is, 1919, the sec
rotary of labor called a confer
ence between The operators and
miners Of the bituminous mines
in the central competitive field,
which conferences also resulted
in failure to reach an agreement.
In letter to Secretary Wilson
which was submitted to the con-
ference, I said:
Arbttra ton Suggested
IF for any reason the miners
and operators fail to come to a
mutual understanding, the inter-
ests OF the public are Of such
f4Idl iii pOL LdIlCC III CONNECTION
with the production Of coal that
it is incumbent upon them to re-
fer the matters in dispute to a
board of arbitration for deter
mination and to continue the op-
GRAFTON of the mines pending the
decision of the board"
subsequently, on October %,
1919, 1 issued a statement in
which 1 said that strike in the
circumstances therein described
sis not only unit tifiabIe, it is
unlawful" and added:
Il express no opinion on the
merits of the controversy. L
have already suggested plan by
which settlement may be
reached and 1 hold myself in
readiness, at the request of Ell
ther Or both sides, to appoint at
once a tribunal to investigate all
the facts with a view to aiding
in the earliest possible time or