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Show FEDERAL ACTION STRONGLY URGED Telegram Sent President Asking Ask-ing Intervention in Copper Strike Under Erdman Act. I CONDITIONS APPALLING L Miner Gets $1.75 for 26 Days Labor Less Than $30 for Five Months. Calumet. Mich, Dec 31 Federal Intervention under the Erdman art has been asked as a means of set tllng the copper miners' strike bv tne Western Federation of Miners. A telegram railing attention to tlio possibility of such action was todav sent to President W ilson by O N Hilton Hil-ton chief of counsel for the Weston Federation, as a sequel to a talk late I last night between him and John B Densmore. solicitor of the department i of labor, who Is here to find means of settling the controversy Message to President. The telegram was as follows "Under the recent act of congress creating a labor commissioner au thrirllv nnrlnnliiollv l ..uuu,.v.v.,., is aui;it- uuuer the general welfare clause of the con stltutlon to warrant governmental interference in-terference In settling the strike It involves a federal question Condi-tions Condi-tions here in the district forcing Ine strike ate appalling One miner for 26 days hard labor received one dollar and seventy-five cents Another les9 than thirty dollars a month for five successive months .n assistance you can render in settling the strike would aiean a happy New Year in deed, to these humble and very de serving people Will you kindly confer con-fer with Labor Commissioner Wilson and the attorne general'' A representative repre-sentative of the former is here." Convinced that testimony available as to the Identity of the man wr.o started the Christmas eve panic by-calling by-calling "fire" in a crowded hall Is Insufficient, local representatives of the Western Federation of Mlner9 de- .. cided not to produce witnesses for that purpose before the coroners inquest in-quest today As a result only odds and ends of testimony were heard and it was expected that the Jury would begin Its deliberations late today. Operators Uncompromising. Uncompromising adherence to their determination never by direct or indirect in-direct means lo recognize the Western West-ern Federation of Miners was pronounced pro-nounced yesterday by mine managers of the copper strike district who were willing to discuss the visit here of b John B Densmore, solicitor of the department of labor. The fact that Mr. Densmore had announced an-nounced his mission as one of con-rlllation con-rlllation made most of the employers 6bake their heads dubiously. "We could not treat with the Federation Fed-eration even If we wished." said F. W. Denton, manager of the Copper Range Consolidated company. "The men at - i work would never consider employ ! ment under ground with members of the union, for there would always be trouble and In view of the fact that I ten thousand men are working for the companies, we canuot Ignore their I Interests " The strike is to enter upon Its final fi-nal stage within two days tomorrow ff being the last upon which the com panles will receive applications for I work from strikers Originally De cember 1 had been set as the ilmlt. but at the request of business meo the time was extended Whatever good the extra 30 days might have accomplished ac-complished was wiped out b the l( Italian hall disaster, the controversy as to who 6hould give relief to afflicted af-flicted families and the deportation of Charles H Mover, president of the Federation. Opposing Claims Wide Apart, i The detailed figures,' obtained from both sides today found the opposing h claims as wide apart as the poles The i employers said there were less than I 30u0 actual strikers left In the di- I trict, but union headquarters furnlah- ed statistics showing that weekly I strike benefits are paid to 10 429 men 1 Both sides agreed that about 2500 men R have left the district since the trou hie began July 23. The companies figured that H.J0 V men were affected by the calling ot the strike, about 600 of these being smelter or mill workers, who were glv-A glv-A en at least part time emplovment at ter tho first few daB Today they claimed 9.C40 men were at work., hall of the difference between the two totals having gone to other districts, thus leavlug 2,330 strikers. They made additional allowances for men B who have come here from outside ci.-A ci.-A ies. thut raising their estimate of the P actual strikers to 3000. Lansing, Mich.. Dec. 31 John Mitchell, vice president of the Amen- ean Federation of Labor; Clarenco Darruw. counsel for the Western Federation Fed-eration of Miners, and a number ot other labor leaders were expected to arrive In Lansing this afternoon toi a. conference- with Governor Ferris con cernlng the strike situation In the I I topper mining district 0 N. Hilton, chief counsel for the Western Federation of Minors today expected to produce -witnesses who would establish tho identity of the ! ,man who shouted "fire" at the Christmas evo celebration, causing a panic which resulted In the death of 72 persons. Mr. Hilton yesterday asked that 1 tho coroner's Inchest ho adjourned un til late toda. lie spent last night and 1 the early part of today trying to confirm the testimony. He said that ti no witnesses will be placed on the j stand unless ho Is certain they can make positive identification Washington, Dec. 31 The board of mediation and conciliation under the amended Erdman act Is authorized t.i act onl In railroad disputes where questions of Interstate commerce are Involved. rrk |