Show BAER TELLS OPERATORS' OPERATORS SIDE OF THE STRIKE PHILADELPHIA Pa Sept dent lIner Baer sent this reply to Senators Penrose and Quay The newspaper story ston that I Bald The Tho strike o was a n private affair which did not concern the public Is a C fabrication Now what I have havo Bald said Is that tho the management of ot bu business belon belongs s to the owners In Inthe tho the case of oC coal companies tho the law casts the management and control on the ill dl- 11 lectors actors an and officers whose responsibility Is 13 to t the he stockholders to the State a tC and nel the tho lie public The rue right of or the stockholder IB is to havo o h good management ani a fair return on his Investment Investment- In Thc Tho obligation to the State Is to conduct the business In strict conformity to the laws It has es es- es The rut duty to the tho public Is 18 so 80 fur tar as practicable to conduct the business BO so as to add to the common welfare We 0 have havo ha e concluded that our dut duty to ourselves ps and to the public will wi best be served b by standing standinG firmly on these principles prin ln- ln First That First That the wares wages paid In the an nn- coal r regions are are compared with wa wages cs paid In like Iko employment fair and just Second That Second That wages cannot bo be In- In without Increasing tho ho price of fr coal and to lo Increase Inere the price of oC coal will wl restrict the market and that a restricted market will wi curtail production and re result In depriving the miners of oC regular em era- t. t Third That Third That we are arc not labor organizations Rut Hut we wo do 10 oppose their unreasonable Interference with the discipline pline and ordinary management of or our business Wf e e will wil not permit them to se se- se heeL lect our employees That It ts Is Is h by reason rason of or varying conditions condi condi- tons at each mine Impracticable to adopt a uniform scale of or wages for the whole region But Dut that at nt each colliery r every complaint and ant grievance will wi betaken bo be taken up nail and Investigated h by the superintendent super super- and adjusted whenever er It Is unjust I personally offered to Mitchell and his district superintendents to go JO with him ami anil In c investigate l ate an any grievances You of oC these things see pee fee Senators none s scan can be he th the subject of arbitration You cannot arbitrate a question of ot wages cages when an increase will wi destroy the business ami anil amia anila a n decrease will wi be unacceptable to the workmen Wo We cannot arbitrate a question furlton ns to whether mining operations business generally shall be he mana managed pd under the iho common sense rule o of law and equity h by bythe bytho the tho owners o ners ami servants they d a have have- ha e se selected so- so e- e rather than b by a Q labor tion ton You cannot arbitrate the tho rl right h to protect protect pro pro- protect your property and mt your our workmen from rota the mob moh rule of ot labor or organizations who boldly proclaim a purpose to destroy property and endeavor to make make- their proclamation effective o Ii h by killing and In InJuring Injuring injuring In- In juring fellow workmen who refuse to Join In their lawlessness s President Baer lauds lauda Gen Gon cn Gobin than whom no Juster man lives 1 Ho Ito le devotes considerable space apace to tho hO efforts n nt at t arid arbi arbitration made mido by hy the civic lc c federation ellerton and says sas that every cry e phase o of the situation was sas fully and fairly discussed and that the coal companies offered to produce all aU hooks books that would throw any n l light ht on the subject The r reply pl concludes You Y se sea Senators we WI ha have ve discussed el this whole subject thoroughly hl and 1 ha have havo endeavored to show you that sound business business busi busi- ness floss management 0 decline to Increase wages wage WP Ve f know that the wa wages s aro arc fair Calr and high and if IC the Iho leaders of oC tho th li bituminous miners had hael not for lot pur- pur poses noses In invaded the anthracite fields our I men flieR ably and would olid contentedly have ha e continued to work peaceably peace |