Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-03
The Peoples Case Strongly Stated.

AS anticipated, President Roosevelt put
the case of the people 10 the coal operators
and the strike leader this morning in plain,
vigorous terms. No stronger statement of
the absolute necessity for the immediate
resumption of hard coal mining could well
have been framed. There was no mincins
of words. no more than the barest acknowi-
edgment of the lack of official or legal
power In the premises He spoke as the
representative Of the third great-the great
est-party to the situation. the general pub
lie. whose authority he holds by virtue of
office and law and tradition.
The President draws a sharp distinction
at the outset declaring that the public has
no concern as to the issues between the
strikers and their employers which have
led to the existing situation. but that the
situation itself ''vitally affects the public
This puts the case upon the highest posi-
BILE plane, where the President leaves it
with the single pregnant sentence just be-
fore the close of his short speech:
81 do not invite discussion of your re-
spective claims and positions.
Thus has the President tactfully and
wisely avoided assuming the role of arb-
traitor between the contending parties. This
conference Is to be no debate of details. no
weighing of contentious, but a conSidera-
ton OF the right of the people to a supply
of it's necessary fuel for the winter soon to
OPEN
There is nothing of unwarranted dictation
in this attitude, as thus outlined. The
President has met the summoned opponents
In no spirit of Indignation or dogmatic COM
mand. He mas assembled them at the very
center of the government, in the presence
of the people represented by himself to
listen to a plain statement of the RESPONSE
bility they have assumed. They, perhaps,
have had the case stated to them in vary
ing terms more frequently than they can
remember since the strike began. They
have been advised by preachers, by econo-
mists, by capitalists, by publicists, by poll
ticians and by newspapers that they were
placing the popular rights and even the
lives of countless people in jeopardy. There
has been no lack of enlightenment on this
score. But they have not before been told
SO pointedly. so briefly. so forcibly. and. it
is to be hoped, so effectively. by such an
unquestionable spokesman of the whole
people. that they have created a situation
which has become literally intolerable''
The adjournment from morning to after
noon was probably wise. 1t permitted the
Presidents words to sink deeply into the
minds of his hearers. 1t forestalled the cir
culation of rumors which might seriously
affect the stock market. In the light of the
manner IN which this momentous confer
ence was begun this morning, the an
nouncement Of the result will be awaited
with the keenest interest and anxiety.
The people will remain confident that
their representative in this affair will con-
tinue to hold the situation upon the same
high plane of public necessity on which he
placed 1t this morning and that he will lose
no opportunity to drive home to his hear
ers full sense of responsibility for the ter
rible sufferings which await the nation if
the mining of coal is not Immediately re-
sumed