New-York tribune., 1912-02-25
PREVENTION OF STRIKE
BR|TA|N'S SUPREME NEED
Ministry's Authority HopeleSsIy
Impaired if 1t Fails TO Avert
Catastrophe.
WORKERS EAGER TO FIGHT
Men obsessed with Idea That
They Can Revolutionize Con-
ditions of Labor by
Standing Together.
tRr Cable To The Tribune.

fBy Gable TO The Tribune
London. Feb. 24.-The prevention of the
threatened national coal strike has be-
come the supreme issue Of politics. II the
Prime Minister accomplishes this result
with the help Of the two rivals to sue
ceed him in the leadership, Sir Edward
Grey and David Lloyd George, he VIII
offer the country convincing proof OF the
utility Of a Liberal administration, II
he fails TO avert catastrophe whlch
viii paralyze the Industrial activities OF
the United Kingdom and cause wide
spread suffering among working people
the authority Of the ministry will be serl-
ously If not hopelessly impaired.
Yet he is virtually acting without any
other weapon than the atmospheric
pressure of public opinion. The resources
Of the conciliation act have failed to
bring about a settlement in either Scot
land. England or South Wales. There IS
no legal method of making arbitration
compulsory and securing minimum
wage or a fair days pay for miners and
n fair DAYS work Of full value for the,
mine owners.
Consequently, the government is at
tempting to arrange compromise
through political influence and that Is
rash expectation when the Labor party
IS no longer accepted by trade unionists
as their representative body in Parlia-
mept. The new trade unionism has lost
faith in Ramsay Macdonald and ;Parlia-
mentarism and is obsessed with the idea
that the entire working class with ref
erence TO trades or crafts, can reVolu-
tionize the conditions of labor and pow
erty by standing together and bringing
about a general industrial strike in sym
pathy with miners, railway men and
transport workers.
IL ministers could arrange terms with
the Labor members at Westminster the
prospect would he more hopeful AS it
is. they are compelled to deal with
Socialists like Hartshorn, the real leader
OF the miners revolt. Hartshorn wants
70 bring about a gigantic struggle, be-
cause he believes that syndicalism will
transform the social layers of the world
and put workers as class on top.
Federation Of Firebrands.
Mr.. Asquith and his colleagues are
thus intervening in a deliberately
planned social revolution. If the main
body OF workers really want to carry
out the plans of Hartshorn and Tom
Mann, ministers are helpless, and the
catastrophe must be faced but there is
a reasonable doubt that Hartshorn and
his federation of frebrands can COM
mand the support Of miners and trans4
port workers.
In their preliminary conference with
coal owners and miners the ministers
are striving to obtain the withdrawal of
the strike notices and postpone the crisis.
If they can~prevent a general cessation
of work in the mines next Thursday
they will have time for negotiating
separately with the English, Scottish
and Welsh interests, and may possibly
succeed in splitting up the federation by
series Of partial settlements.
The irreconcilables among both en-
ployers and miners are mainly in Wales,
and they are making strenuous efforts
10 induce the federation conference to
reject the governments proposals for a
postponement of the strike next week.
IL Wales be permitted TO decide the
issue at Socialist dictation a general
strike Of miners viii probably be fol-
lowed by sympathetic movement Of
transport workers.
Having exhausted the resources OF the
aud tbOse of the C0ali-
ton with the Labor party. the govern
ment will have the responsible duty of
protecting the pits from becoming un-
serviceable through the destruction Of
machinery and the abandonment of
pumping operations, as we'll as that of
employing police and military in the
maintenance of order. 1t will be state
Of war against society, and the ministers
will be compelled to suppress reyolu-
tionary action in circumstances Of ex-
creme difficulty and to restrict as far
as possible the disastrous consequences
81 the struggle 10 all classes in the COM
munity. Public opinion will be behind
them, but strong, effective action will,
of course be resented by their Labor
lilies
Await Home Rule Drum.
Rumor -mongers. having failed to kick
he Prime Minister upstairs into the gid
ed chamber of the House of Lords or
on 10 the. weolsack. are graciously per-
mitting him 10 remain where he is until
the discussion Of financial supply is
ended and the big drum is beaten for the
Home Rule bill. That will be the real
crisis in the fortunes Of the coalition. II
Mr.. Redmond accepts the bill publicly
after David Lloyd George and T. p.
o'connor have held repeated conferences
over IT and received Mr.. Dilion's ap-
proysl Of it's terms the government may
remain In Office during the year to carry
through the Commons both disestablish-