Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-03-06
ENGLAND ON VERGE
OF INDUSTRIAL
HELL--STEAD
Noted Writer Says Strike Of
Million Miners Will Gull
inmate in Civil War; Star
walton Faces the Masses.

LondoS March o~-Orept Britain
stands on tho very verge OF hell. isI
the declaration made by w. r. stead.
noted writer, commenting on the
gigantic strike 81 coal miners. Mv.
stead in AN article published here
today says
ono million coal miners, represent.
INK the whole body OF workmen en-
gagged In coal mining have struck,
and n they refuse to 30 back 20 work
unsal their demands are conceded.
and II those demands are not con-
ceded. the country will be plunged
into civil war.
Not civil war of the ordinary kind
Ia which two armed forces appeal TO
the arbitfamcnt al arms as 90 which
shalt rule. but civil war of far more
terrible kind civil war. IN which the
sole arbitcr viii be starvntion--starva-
tion endured. not by the cotnhatants
nlonJ or even In ohoioe--hut the
starvation OF nation.
Starvation Is a far more cruel arr
bitter than war.
War has It's laws; starvation knows
none. ana Il "a now being realized for
the first time IN our highly complex,
modern society Of ours. which Is MS
1clicato as the works 81 watch. that
II Is la the power OF a single deter
mined trades union 70 convert a
Whole nation % civilized mon into an
tnarchic multitude OF Wild beasts
Invenlns for prey. Since the world
began there mover has been "a nation
ID 100000 that lived so absolutely
rom hnnd-to-mouth as the British
satlon. Every one lives from hand
to-mouth, relying with implicit faith
lipon tho continuous au9ooth working
pi the vast system Of railroads, steam
ehips ana banks. ana the power which
kept the whole system going with the
regularity al the planets waA coal.
our cities would be In darkness
without coal; the sewage Of i.ondon
rould not be disposed OF without coal,
our manufacturing industries would
be paralyzed, outside tho purely nsri-
cultural districts every one would be
reduced 20 absolute lack OF food and
drink. light ana warmth. without
coal. ana today, because 1000. 600
,niners refuse % go TO work except
or their own terms, this lmmeasur-
able disaster Is threatening the whole
nation
Ministers. appalled, at the prospect
OF the Wolter OF anarchy and starva-
tion IN which the country may be
plunged. have taken steps which. as
Mr.. Asqulth said. are IN defiance Of
convention and tradition and custom
81 order 80 compel the mine owners
tc cocedc what. m the impartial and
unanimous Judgment % the cabinet.
the men might fairly domand.
They are now up against The qucs-
ton whether, II the miners persist In
demands which. in the ministerial
judgment. are unjust and unrcas0n-
able. they will cndenvor 20 compel
the mine owners 60 Yield for the sake
OF the community. They naturally
shrink from taking such step, FOR
once that e BE- admitted that the
miners have only 80 ask 90 have
things and be supported by the gov
eminent In enforcing their demands,
no matter how unjust they may be,
and the whole nation Hiss ennlaved
before the miners union.
There h a cry IN some quarters for
the naturalization 81 the mines, but
IA the experience OF New England
shows strikes can take place In ma
tionnli1ed minoa and the cost Of pro-
duclion goes up when the mine " re-
moved from tho stimulating atmos-
rhore 90 private management.
or thc other hand thoro 10 de-
mand "a some quarters for vigorous
coercion and it n noted with grim
satisfaction that orders have been IS
sued for every available man ln the
British army on salisbury plain to be
armed and equipped ready for immer
diate action, cavalry, infantry, artil-
iory end engineers, bat these moaR-
pres of precnutlon cannot break the
,nrike. cannot oven maintain q semn.
lace Of order when famine-aifickcn
mobs are iootlng London AZ she chi-
nese soldiers have been iootlng fekin.
The railroad strike of last summer
\ only lasted a couple OF days. bat e
brought tho great industrial towns
within weeks distance of siorFn-
ton. Local authorities warned the
home office from OH the great Indus
trial ccnicrs that there was not q
fortniFhts supply OF food IN their
towna. that the suffering people