The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-09-03
A DEMOCRATS OPINION.

Those Democrats, and they are not
few, who have treasured President
Roosevelt's action in bringing about
settlement of last years coal strike
as possible weapon to be used
against him in the next campaign, on
the ground of interference with prop
erty rights, will find scant com fort in
the recent comments of Judge George
Gray Of Delaware on the subject.
Judge Gray is SO prominent Demo-
crat that he is being seriously dis
cussed as presidential possibility in
1904, and he was at the head of Presi-
dent Roosevelt's commission which
settled the great strike. The fact of
Judge Gray's political affiliations re-
moves the possibility of charging po-
litical prejudice against him in this
matter, and because he was chairman
of the commission no one is in bet
ter position to judge the President S
act at close range. Moreover. Judge
Gray's opinion was solicited by
and is printed in the New York World,
one of the great Democratic authori-
ties of the country.
This is the question the World
asked Judge Gray:
1t has been said, Judge Gray,
that the interference of President
Roosevelt in the anthracite strike,
considering the power and influence
of his office, amounted to modifica-
tion of property rights. How does
that criticism strike your
The judges reply was as follows:
Il have no hesitation in saying
that the President of the United States
was confronted in October, 1902, by
the existence of crisis more grave
and threatening than any that had &C.
Cured since the civil war. | mean
that the cessation of mining in the
anathracite country, brought about
by the dispute between the miners
and those who controlled the greatest
natural monopoly in this country,
and perhaps in the world, had brought
upon more than one-half of the Amer
lean people condition of deprivation
of one of the necessaries of life, and
the probable continuance of the dis
pute threatened not only the comfort
and health. but the safety and good
order, of the nation. He was with
out legal or constitutional power to
interfere, but his position as President
of the United States gave him an in
fuence, a leadership, as first citizen
Of the republic, that enabled him to
appeal to the patriotism aud good
sense of the parties to the controversy
and to place upon them the moral
coercion of public opinion to agree
to an arbitrament of the strike then
existing and threatening consequences
so direful to the whole country. He
acted promptly and courageously, and
in so doing averted the dangers to
which l have alluded.
So far from interfering or in
fringing upon property rights, the
Presidents action tended to conserve
them. The peculiar situation, as re-
CARDS the anthracite coal interest, was
that they controlled a natural monop-
oily of a product necessary to the COM
fort and to the very life OF large
portion of the people. A prolonged
deprivation of the enjoyment of this
necessary of life would have tended
to precipitate an attack upon these
property rights of which you speak
for, after all, it is vain to deny that
this property, so peculiar in its con-
ditions, and which is properly spoken
of as a natural monopoly, is affected
with public interest. 1 do not think
that any President ever acted me "
wisely, courageously, or promptly i'll
national crisis. Mr.. Roosevelt de.
serves unstinted praise for what he
did"
With Grover Cleveland and Judge
Gray commanding Mr.. Roosevelt E
course at that crisis it seems hardly
probable that the interference" will
figure prominently in the next cam
paign.