The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-11-17
noticeable. The army of 10000 IS not
what the army of $4,000 was.
COLORADO STRIKE MEDIATION.

Denver dispatch states that
meeting of the business men OF that
city was held to formulate an appear
to the president to act as medla-
tor between the parties to the
formidable strike of the miners IN the
coal regions of the state OF Colorado
They believe that, if the president Will
so act. the miners will consent to re-
turn to work and submit their de-
mands to settlement through arbitra-
ton.
The outlook for a coal famine is,
unfortunately, very promising. Many
Industrial establishments have only
limited supplies of coal ahead, nota-
bly the beet sugar factories now be-
ginning the grinding season, While
some manufacturing concerns nave
had to close down for lack of fuel
Coal is very abundant in Colorado, so
abundant that there has been small
difficulty getting supplies heretofore,
and such great strike as the present
one was not looked for by consumers.
The coal miners seem to command
the situation. The appeal to the pres
ident to perform the functions OF me-
diator is doubtless based upon the sue
cess of such mediation with reference
to the serious strike in the anthra-
cite region of Pennsylvania last year.
The president will probably say to
the Denver petitioners that if the
citizens of Colorado have exhausted
all possible measures to bring the OPP
orators and the miners together and
both refuse positively to yield to solii
citations of state government or ctti-
zens, and, if it is shown that the re-
ports of great suffering in consequence
Of the cutting off of supplies of fuel
have not been exaggerated, the re-
quest may be taken into consideration.
1t does not appear that all means of
persuasion are exhausted. The strike
began only recently and the public has
not yet asserted itself very strongly. 1t
was seen in the case of the anthracite
miners strike that the 100000 600 ap-
proximate loss fell chiefly upon the
the stoppage of Industries; the throw
ing Of employees out of work because
Of lack OF fuel, and the paralysis of
business in the mining region, while
the state had entailed upon it a heavy
burden in the maintenance of the ma
tional guard in active service in the
mining region. The direct and indi-
rect losses to the public were undoubt
eddy much larger than estimated. The
operators, in the Pennsylvania case,
lost nothing, for they had the adVan
tage of a fifty cent-a-ton advance on
coal above the normal rate which en-
abled them to recover all the losses
they had sustained.
Colorado does not want to incur like
losses by a prolonged strike Of coal
miners which will inevitably close all
her industrial establishments, throw
thousands of employees out of work
and paralyze business. The report of
the anthracite coal strike commission,
which was appointed by the president
to investigate the Pennsylvania strike
and determine the right and wrong Of
it, it's determination to be accepted by
operators and miners, laid down very
clearly and indisputably the undeniable
right of the employer of labor and
the undeniable rights of labor he en-
plOys. Conceding the rights of both
parties, neither has right under the
common law to misuse his rights, even
| if the object of his action may be COM
mendable from the standpoint of labor
union or employer, to ignore and
trample upon the obvious rights of
others, Others standing for the pub
| lie Upon the basis of it's legal and in
| alienable rights, the Colorado public,
| confronted by a threatened business
and industrial catastrophe and dire
physical suffering, after eXhausting it's
| powers and influence within the state
| to avert the evil, would be justified in
| asking for the mediatorial offices of the
president, which would probably be
accepted by the parties to the strike.
q