The sun., 1904-07-15
CoAL STRIKE AND NEAT STRIKE.

To THE EpfroR or THE suN--Sfr: In your
interesting remarks this morning on the
butohers' strike situation you say:
Thesc Is no constitutional or legal authority Tor
the Government at Washington 70 butcher and dis
tribute beeves and pigs and lambs. But shere was
no icgai or constitutional authority for the Gov.
eminent at Washington 10 interfere In the coal
strike.
Now. as have always understood II. the
Government at Washingto has always said
that he did not interfere in the anthracite
coal strike in his capacity as the Government.
but In his personal capacity. 1t seems to me
this distinction should always be Kept In
sight. The fact that an American citizen
happens to be the American Government does
not necessarily submerge the citizens fnol-
viduality as a citizen.
To be sure, II may be urged that his innu-
ence with himself az the Government may
affect his action as the citizen. Likewise tho
inference is more or less open that mon Of
large affairs would not drop their business
and journey many miles In Response 70 his
summons issued as plain citizen. wero t moe
for the fact that in addition TO being plain
citizen he was also the Government.
But all this Is purely speculative assunnp-
tion. 1t does not affect the actual existing
line Of demaroation between the citizen and
the Government. II men choose to infer that
by yielding to the wishes OF the citizen a. the
CltLen Iley Will ADVANCE tnelT lutcI IootS Wit
the citizen ss the Government: or they
choose III thar own minds to oonfound the
citizen with tho Government. tho otroum-
stance seems to me irrelevant. II does not
affect the fact
Nor. in the case Of the anthracite coal strike.
did the Government himself actually engage
in coal mining any more than In the present
instance he Is likely to engage personaU In
the butchering and dressed meat bustno0.
The coal strike situation was peculiar.
Hundreds Of men in the coal region were oon.
stantIy violating the express enactment OF
the Mine Workers Union that coal mining
must stop. Under the speoious proposition
that their families needed food. and that as
individuals they had the right to work u they
violating the law laid down by tho union for
the government Of coal production at that
time.
In this they were urged on and encouraged
by the owners Of the. mines themselves. The
consequences was that there seemed to be NO
end In sight for the trouble. The ooeroave
measures in the way Of dynamiting. corporal
punishment and even the indiction Of tho
death penalty upon workmon engaged In open
revolt against the authority and enacted laws
Of the Mine workers' Union. were having less
and less effect. In spite Of the violent meas
ures to repress It, the revolt against tho union
was growing. A reign Of veritable anarchy
was In progress, with every pfoepSCS tnAt tns
last vestige Of authority over the production
OF anthracite coal would be swept away from
the duly organized Mine Workers Union.
1t was at this stage Of tho trouble that inter
ference came. That II came from the White
House IL due to tho fact that the citizen who
interfered lived In the White House because
he also happened to be the Government He
summoned to the White House tho coal oper-
stors. who. by their encouragement Of tho
non union miners in the revolt against the
union. were forcing the union to keep MP tho
regime Of dynamiting. burnings and other
acts Of violence which had made Of the coal
regions an abode Of bloodshed and terror.
The Government. not as the Government
but as the citizen. summoned these men and
forced them into a conference and an srbi-
tration with the representative Of union au-
thority. This restored order. for II removed
the necessity Of carrying on q warfare Of ex-
termination against the non-union men,
With the support OF the coal operators with
drawn the non-union revolt. which was gain
ing hesdwsy so threatening to union author
ity. collapsed.
Mr.. Roosevelt has repeatedly said ho took
this step as an individual-that 1t was his per-
sonal act. With all submission. Is 1t quite
fair to suggest the inference that 1t was in
his capacity as the Government OF the
United States that he did this? W.B.G
NRw YORK, July IL.