The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1902-10-03
DISCUSS j COAL ! |, STRIKE
PRECEDENT ROOSEVELT. THREE
CABINET %.MEMsERs AND A /
t,>.# sF5 g% 6T IEI n
GOVERNOR CONFER.
IMPOSSIBLE

s- - -. III. III.
INTERFERENCE IMPOSSIBLE
r., .grE.s. "p. : - y ,@!y,,. N w
Initiative steps Taken to See What
II Anything, Can Be Done to End
the Present DepIorabIe Struggle,
H., Conclusion Reached That There 10
No Law Warrant'ng Intervention.
Another Conference to Take e''es.
10, Washington, oct. 1.-The president
during the day took Initiative steps to
ascertain what. IL anything, could he
done by federal authority to Hcttle
he Aaal strike. Tive rca@lt was \
11thAr general expression of opha7a
~ 40 advisers Of the pEesident. .aFho
were parties to the conference, to
the aRectI that the federal laws 1nd:
:c0nstitution did not afford means ct;
.fledSsl interference to end tie strike,
but another conference will be held
and the president will do all he can
properly and legally to bring about a
settlement.
At the. temporary White House a
conference was held with three cab
met officers, Attorney General Knox.
Secretary Moody and Postmaster
General Payne. Governor Crane OF
Massachusetts also was present.
These gentlemen met with President
Roosevelt first and after the subject
had been considered for some time
they adjourned to another room anu
conferred together for an hour They
all returned later In the day and held
another conference with the president
and the strike situation was discussed:
further.
President Roosevelt is deeply con:
cerned over, the situation. The ap-
proach+ of winter, with coal famine
immine nt, and the distress and suffer
ing that must ensue unless coal be-
comes available, presents situation
which he thinks should receive the at
.tention Of the administration 1t there
lis anything that can be done by the
government. II any appeals have been
made to- him and many suggestions
have been receive ed by him and it was
with q view to ascertaining what
power the federal authority could
evoke that caused the conference To
During the conference every phase
Of the: situation wan discussed The
7general opinion of the advfsers Of PIE
president was that The situation
: old Net Present a"acass
An which there could be federal inter
ference by any warrant Of law. 'Thene
has, been NO fntsrfefencefwit It'll federal
authority in the mining region. either
by 'stoppaEe Of the malls or resist
ancs OF the United States; court pro-
cess. It was pointed out that there
Yves no OCCASION for the use Of federal
tfAops, a. Governor Stone of Pehnsyl'
'vdiia had mot calied~on theRsn*ern.,
'ment for assistance nor had he even,
exhausted the resources OF the state
BY calling out the full strength OF the
state militia The question OF the
right to seek appointment OF receivers
for tho mines in order that they might
be operated was discussed, but neither
In tie Constitution nor in any known
inv could any legal warrant be found
,for such action, though the discussion
on such lines even went so far as the
consideration of how the properties
could be relinquished and control sur
rendered after the object Of supplying
coal had been accepted. assuming the
federal government could intervene
through receivers. The tenor OF the
whole discussion was to the effect
that there was a lack of the power tn
the federal administration to take any
action at the present stage of the
strike, although the seriousness or
the coal famine now and the much
greater evils soon to follow were con- :.
sidered at length and with wish to
discover some method of ending the
industrial deadlock.
Governor Cranes presence natuf-
ally brough into prominence the pro-
ceedings begun in the Massachusetts,
courts to secure the appointment OF
receivers for the coal properties. but
the opinion was expressed that the
situation could not be met success
fully by this method.
During the day advices were re-
ceived that the strike might be set
tied by the operators and the miners
themselves and it was suggested that
hasty
Interference Of Any Kind
by the federal government might pre-
vent the contamination of the plans
for q strike settlement, II any such
we're maturing. While recognizing
the futility of Efforts to end the strike
that could accomplish nothing It was
stated that the president was anxious
that the end Of the strike should; he
brought about at the earliest. possible
moment and that II the attorney gen
eral or any other member Of the cab.
met could devise Z method by which
the preaideat' could proceed SthRt >he
would not hesitate to adopt. It, unless
meanwhile assurances Of = settienent
were. received. After the ;mesfing 4
Governor Crane left Washington for
Massachusetts, - :; 49,.
The conference will be resumed Ia
the morning, at which time Secretary
Root will be present.
It has been intfmatcd that the presi:
dent may send for the managers Of |
the coal properties; but this will not
be done until after the conference in