The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1902-10-09
THE COAL CONFERENCE.

The seriousness of the problem
evoked by the great coal strike de-
mands the highest judicial frame of
mind upon the part of the public in
any attempt to pass judgment upon
Fridays conference, says the Burling-
ton Hawkeye. The President acted
in the best of good faith, prompted by
the highest motives of humanity. He
made a most touching appeal to both
contestants to reach an agreement as
public duty. Neither side would
yield Mr.. Mitchell, representing the
miners, offered to submit the case to
arbitration upon certain conditions.
The offer was rejected. The operators
and railway presidents offered to
leave the grievances of the men in
each colliery to be passed upon by the
judges of the local courts of Pennsyl-
vania. The miners refused to accept
this proposition.
The real stumbling block is appar-
emily the unwillingness of the opera
tors to deal with the miners organiza-
ton, and the unwillingness of the lat
ter to permit non-union men to work
in the mines. These two conditions
are so incompatible that solution by
mutual agreement would seem to be
impossible. The dangerous feature of
the situation is that large number
of men who want to work cannot do
so unless guarded by troops. On the
other hand, if the members of the
miners union are employed, the other
workmen will have to give up their
jobs and probably leave the country.
The public, therefore, is expressing its
sympathies, has to choose between
two groups of working men. The pity
of it is, that when there is work
enough for all, only part can be en-
ployed because the two groups are
hostile to each other-the union min
ers because the tenets of their organ
ization will not permit them to work
with men not members; and the non
union men because in the struggle for
existence they must take work where
ever they can get it, or they and their
families will starve. They are thus
placed between the upper and neither
millstones and are being crushed to
death.
Meanwhile the public, itself an in
nocent sufferer, looks on with mingled
feelings of pity and Indignation. The
demand for fuel is urgent, and while
some will blame one side, and some
the other, there is measure OF CEN
sure for both. The situation is one
requiring patience. 1t is most invit-
ing opportunity for the political dema-
gogue to make party capital. The hot
headed and irrational will attempt it.
But it is noticeable that the broader
minded, as well as the more astute,
leaders of botn political parties are
cautious about committing them
selves. 1t is a matter that overfows
party bounds. The two antagonistic
groups of workingmen comprise large
masses of voters, and each group is di-
vided in the political faith of it's mem
bers. The voters who do not belong
to the miners union largely outnum-
ber those who do. Under these cir
cumstances sagacious party leaders
are restrained from converting the
situation INTO a political issue. This
is one favoring circumstance for a
hnal amicable solution of a difficult
problem. For If it is kept out of poll
tics, it will ultimately settle itself
And a solution reached by that pro-
cess, being. in fact, natural evolu-
tion through economic media, is like
ly to be more decisive and permanent.