The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-16
MINE MEN FLATLY
 REFUSE HARDING
 SETTLEMENT PLAN
(continued fro:.a page onel

ing the governments offer of means of instant adjustment and the re- sumption of mining"
 The scale committee of the union for the anthracite miners meeting earlier refused for themselves to ac- cept the arbitration offer. but joined with the general policy committee deliberations.
 "For substantial reasons, the rep resentatives of the United Mine Workers are compelled to withhold their acceptance of the arbitration proposals submitted to you" the let ter to the President said.
 only Partially Representative
 "The mine workers desire to point out that the coal operators who have been in attendance at the recent conferences assembled by you, and to whom you have submitted the plan for arbitration of the coal strike, are only partially representative of the producing interests affected by tho present suspension of mining. Operators representing nearly 50 per cent of the tonnage in strike fields where production Is stopped, have not been in attendance, and we have no information that the proposed plan of arbitration has been submit ted to them by any government agency.
 eWe are further advised that these interests have no intention of com ing within the purview of the pro visions of our plan of adjustment. Under such circumstances 1t is futile that any one be made. It Is manl- festly unfair to attempt to expect from the mine workers representA- 4t at%ait Al yraA aThitfA- ton plan, while at the same time powerful operating interests, employ | ing hundreds of thousands of men TOW on strike are left free to follow their own selfish impulses and escape liability in the premises. Even the acceptance of the plan would by the mine workers, bring about only | partial settlement"
 GFux of opposition
 This was the crux of tho union | opposition to arbitration, MT. Lewis and national officers in conference with the President and cabinet rnem- bers, having openly demanded during l the past week that semi -unionized fields in West Virginia, partially pro- l ducing in spite of the strike, as well as scattered territory elsewhere, ee forced by tho government to take arbitration. The President has been understood to have responded that the government could not force such compliance.
 In the rest of their letter, tho 'union leaders expressed satisfaction with his proposal to establish com mission to investigate alleged irreg- rlarities Of operations in the bitu- minous industry, along with produc. ton and selling costs. Incidentally they claimed the report of such . body was necessary to any arbitra. ton proceedings.
 From the White House after tho final response of the miners was al hand, was also issued copy of 8 joint lotter, which the President ha, written to Mir. Lewis, A. M. Ogie chairman of the bituminous employees and s. D. Ware, international presi- dent Anthracite Coal association, ln- | terpreting his arbitration proposals.
 Since I rendered to you in a joint l session at the executive offices or Monday. July 10. certain proposals for the arbitration of the coal dis l pute, and since there have been mum erous inquiries and several informa conferences in the intervening time I aimed at clearer understanding, | have thought 1t desirable to place before you, in writing. such inter pretations on the general proposal a' have sought informally and in yer
 bal statements to convey. These def
 mite interpretation do not in an, way modify the original appeal. bu
 will serve to clarify such doubts o | construction as have been expressed and leave no possibility of misun 1 derstanding.
 The program contemplates three successive stages as follows:
 "First-That tho mine workers re | t,rn to Uorlx undAr ina sarne termi