Show MITCHELLS PLAN IS I I NOT U Anthracite Operators U Unwilling I to Reopen Questions They Regard as Settled i OPEN SHOP IS INVOLVED 4 COUNTER PROPOSITION MADE TO THE MINERS New Kew Ne York rork April 10 A counter proposition j wash was made today by the anthracite coal operators at their meeting with the representatives of the United Mine Work Workers Workers ers era proposition rejects the arbitration arbitration tion plan offered by John Mitchell pres president presIdent president ident of the th miners mIner and und instead suggests the following 1 The commission of 1902 1903 should be requested to reconvene and consider whether any circumstances have havo arisen since tInce April 1 1903 which would Justify a modification of its award of that date in respect only to the follow ing subjects subject First birst waKes wages second as to adjustment of complaints through the conciliation board or otherwise Any new DOW award of the commission shall be binding for a u period of three years j The Joint conference adjourned after hav hay ing been boen in session about half an hour to meet again Thursday Reply of the Operators The reply rep of f the operators to the arbi offer of or the United d Mine Work Vork Workers ers era says in part Your Tour proposal as we understand even evett 43 Involves the submission by us of the question of our making mal ing an agreement with the United Mine Workers of America to the exclusion of the nonunion work workers ers ersa eraa a question which we did not submit to 10 the anthracite strike commission for reasons then stated in which we were fully Justified by b that commission The Tho very question that YOU vou have pre pro presented presented was in some form or other after careful investigation passed upon by the f anthracite strike commission a commis commission lon ion composed compos d of disinterested Tho The award it made has been faithfully lived up to Expected Permanent Award Although the duration of the award was as limited to the 1st of April 1006 it was our expectation and that of the public that the principles upon which it was wag made would be permanent and con tinning That expectation was justified because the commission in its hearings and in its award was guided by the pres expressed desire desiro that it should shoud endeavor to establish tho the relations be between between between tween the wage workers in the anthracite anthracite cite coal fields on a Just and permanent basis asis 1 We uWe cannot assent to reopen the tho fun fundamental questions decided by the anthracite anthracite cite strike commission They have formu formulated formulated formulated principles and rules of right to over Ithe the relations between e and employer which have received d th hearty harty assent of all good citizens of the land Important Question Involved A Moreover the decision de of these ques questions necessarily Involved the further and most Important one of all a that is in increase increase crease rease in the price of coal to the ing public A board of arbitration con consisting consisting slating so sc largely of your our representatives and ours would hardly be bp considered by the public a proper one to pass on this question 1 The reply is signed by b Georce F Baor Baer W H J B Kerr David Win Will t ox Morris Williams E B Thomas J r 1 i L Cake Cak committee New York April 9 1 j h Letter From Independents 1 At the close of the meeting a copy o oa of ofa a n letter from independent operators who held a meeting nt et yesterday esterday to the operators committee was made public The letter expressed the th con conviction vie Ii tion of the independent operators that any an ana agreement a to arbitrate with the Mine Workers York rs would be an nn unjustifiable surrender to anarchy and anit mob violence Th ThA letter Jetter contained d the following We Ye contend that it would be better bette that our mines shall lie Jip idle for years than that we should accede ac Cde to the Wa manlIke demands of an organization II that lacks either the wish or the ability w 4 to 4 restrain Its members from acts of vio yb l nce that would disgrace the spiced Russian As to Arbitration The independents wrote that if the op operators operators orators committee commit tee could decide in defer deference once ence to public lUbliC opinion upon some offer o of arbitration that arbitration hould Mould be b by byi i the that met in 1902 1002 and 1003 and that there should be bp no submission of questions already adjudicated Ilk like the closed shop collection of dues or the suggestion of any an term terra less than five years ears during which the award shall bi be binding b The Independents also suggest suggested ed fd that any an Increase in the cost of production production tion lion could be added at once to the mar ket k et price of ot coal On this point the thc letter said aid s If consumers naturally perhaps thinking t only of their own comfort and convenience c ci are so Indifferent to the de demands demands mands i ct of law and order as to compel us uso to t o abandon a contest for right and decent government g that we are ready if necessary necessary sary ary s to undertake they should pay the cost ost c of ot the surrender that they compel This Tills letter Is signed for tor the anthracite coal oal c operators association by H S Ash Ashey ley l J ey president and H secre tary t ary President Mitchell would not com comment ment m ent upon the answer of the operators bs but b ut said there would be a meeting of tho the scale cale s committee to consider It |