Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-23
OUTSIDE POINT OF VIEW
For the Times Republican.

FOR the Times Republican,.
~ this writing it seems more than
probable that the great coal strike of
| lSO2 will have been settled by arbitra
/ tlon, SO that what follows need not be
considered as a hastily formed plan to
ehd the present conflict between labor
and capital That this strike has done
much TO prepare the public mind for
/ the adoption of the better forms of So
clallsln is evident from the expressed
| opinion of all sources Many prominent
men have openly advocated the seizure
of the mines by the government and
having them worked under govern
mental supervision till the present coal
! famine has been ended. The great
democratic party of New York state is
on record to this effect David B. Hill,
/ always presidential possibility (till he
| dies), openly advocates such radical
| procedure. and Billy Mason, republican
senator from Illinois, announces that
/ he Will introduce a bill to this end in
the next session of congress. So that
|, ut can be assumed the public is seeking
some method, some plan, some remedy,
that will prevent a possible repetition
of our winters coal supply being de-
MED the rich and poor alike, this on
the very approach of cold weather. For
now it can be assumed that the coal
| miners union on the one hand and the
coal railroad companies on the other
are willing that the public shall be de-
prived of this necessity in this climate,
ifif by such deprivation one can break
down the union or combine of the other.
| What follows seems-to the writer to be
| a partial cure of the evil, and the plan
extended to larger limits a totally eff
fective one.
Simply this, let Uncle Sam go into
the coal mining business. Not confis-
cate the present coal barons' holdings,
but buy some coal lands and operate
the mines. Uncle Sam is ship build
er. Let him dig his own coal for his
ships, his public buildings and his coal
stations the world over. There is no
law against the government operating
| a coal mine, and just now there is a
strong sentiment in favor of it. Again,
Uncle Sam could offer steady employ
ment to union and non-union labor
alike, and Furthermore protect such la
borers. There are thousands of acres
of anthracite and ,bituminous coal lands
in this country, now in the possession
OF spectators, that never have been
| touched by the hand of man. The gov
| eminent has a right to buy or condemn
such land for public use, the same as it
acquires land for public buildings or
other purposes. The governments coal
bill is one of the heaviest expenses on
I the taxpayers. Large in times of
peace, tremendous in time of war. 1t
Is now we'll known that at the begin
ming of the Spanish war we were not
only short" on powder. but short on
| coal. With our new colonial posses
/ sions, 1t has become necessary for us to
have large coaling stations at many
points, SO that 1t is certain the govern
ment can employ thousands of men as
| coal miners the year around. and prob
ably, by so doing, reduce the expenses
of running the government.
| Now let us imagine the government
| operating coal mines, both anthracite
and bituminous, in Pennsylvania, hav-
| ing other soft coal mines in operation
| in Illinois and Iowa, working the now
virgin coal deposits of Colorado and
Montana and Idaho. operating these
esNANA
! consumption, and then conflict occurs
between the coal miners union and the
/ coal barons of Pennsylvania, Illinois or
Iowa. how long would such strike last
iif Uncle Sam began to sell coal to the
/ general public? But, says some read
/ er, how could Uncle Sam get his coal
!! to the consumer? Easily. Compel to
/ railroads to haul 1t. The government
Z No N nr.
der the railroads to transport soldiers
i and supplies anywhere and everywhere
inside the country's limits. When a
public calamity occurs, whether north.
east, south or west, the government
does not hesitate in ordering the rail-
roads or steamship lines to transport
tents, food or coal to the stricken peo-
pie. And reader, out here in comforts
able Iowa, where deposits of coal are
under the soil, in full as easily reached
quantity as the big produce of the top
Eof Iowa farms, out here. we know moth
ing of the terrible suffering of the cities
( that occurs from short supply of fuel.
If the government has power to send
| food supplies to the starving people of
Alaska, it certainly possesses the same
power to send fuel to the freezing poor
of city and country alike. But. better
than this. is the almost certainty of the
end of coal strikes If the government is
| prepared to supply the people with this
necessity.
| M1<>aA1zg