The sun., 1905-09-28

n IL much ton ssfiy N prad,ot 'h~ o'i'
esne NJ posslh,s oondic' nest spflna
iAssarn ihe oosl mincrs and 'ho fnin"
yessrs n Ia slso i'm eafly ~ preilct
ssth~y tha, ,hcfe vii br ~ that there
Oil not he A alflks IN the cosl seslrns
"a ssrms certain. however, that both
ssses sT= preparing 'of s'ioh EH svsr'
aAA thu public Ia deeply interea,nd IN
an possibilities N the sli'is,lon.
, JouS Mitcnti.t, in in. cuurs whIch
hs has followed thla veaf. has assumed
| @ fesrful responsibility should a pro.
lcnged a,rko Aks place, wlth attendant
financial loss and resultant human mis-
cry. priva,ion and death, with possible
Disorder and riotine. " will bs iinposai-
HE 10 avoid holding him individually
responsible for IL all The pilins of the
oombustiblcs and the application Of the
torch will alike bs his handiwork. Wa
ass willing 10 credit him with acting
from the highest and most unselhsh
motives. but that Ia no g,iarantes OF the
righteousness Of his cause
Thus far Mr.. MITCHELL hes made no
ssrong cnse for his followers with which
% come before the public for support
and approval He has failed to show
chat the miners are either seriously un-
derpaid or heavily overworked. He has
sven stated publicly that since the strike
Of 1907 the miners have enjoyed an era
Of unprecedented prosperity For the
victims Of greedy and grinding employers
tho American people have an abundant
sympathy, but the present wage rates
OF the miners were not fixed by men of
that type. They were determined by a
commission appointed by President
ROOSEVELT, and the weight of the evil
xence in the situation indicates quite
clearly that the miners Themselves have
been well satisfied with their pay. MIR.
MfTCHELL and his official associates take
the ground that tho wage earners
ought not to be content, and have made
vigorous effort to excite their disoon-
tent. We want no half-paid, half-fed
people in any branch OF American in
dustfy. II has not been shown that
there ID any more economic distress and
injustice in the coal areas than there is
in the iron areas, the forest areaA or the
cotton mill cities and towns. II II only
that Mr.. MITCHELL thinks that his fol-
lowers should get more pay and that they
should work for shorter number Of
hours.
With his maj demand, that Of recoe-
milton Of the union, the public Ii In little
sympathy. Some OF the recent capers
Of unionism have not won for the in
stitution the warm approval Of the gen.
ersl public. The advantage OF what Ii
known as cooperative bargaining, or
trade agreement, Is O proposition In
economics about which most Of us know
very little and perhaps care less. A
bargain which can be made binding
upon only one party to an agreement
does not appeal strongly to American
common sense. If an employer violates
a contract to pay certain wages for
specified term, he may be sued under
contract law. Ifa miners union violates
such contract by striking for a higher
rate. the employer may sue the east
wind and a freezing public may run
around the block to keep warm.
The coal situation is much better
Nhown and understood to-day than II
%A three years ago. 1t will be even
better known by the first Of next April,
when the present contracts between
the owners and the operatives expire.
To command that public support upon
which success must ultimately stand
Mr.. MITCHELL must present a stronger
, case for his people than the. nov sub
mtted. The attention which is being
paid to the matter will tend strongly to
prevent a struggle, the danger of which
is now generally admitted