The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-06-08
A NOTE OF WARNING SOUNDED BY
THE UNITED MINE WORKERS

NEW YORK CITY, June 2. -
An urgent appeal and protest to
the Council Of National defense and
to President Wilson, made ir behalf
of an uninterrupted supply of coal
throughout the war period, has just
been issued by John P. White, presi-
dent of the United Mine Workers Of
America, whose Executive Board is
now in session in Indianapolis. A
copy of the statement has been
forwarded to President Wilson.
The statement in full follows:
"To the Council of National De-
Tense:
Gentlemen:
"a matter of grave concern to
our nation has been precipitated by
the sudden development out of your
organization of a Committee on Coal
Production which sets aside COM
plete national agreement between
mine owners and mine workers just
recently arrived at III New York
City. By tha$ agreement the basic
industry of the nation was placed
on an assured foundation of ade-
quate and uninterrupted coal sup
ply.
Speaking on behalf of the half
million workers of our organization,
and assuming to speak only for
them, | hasten to call to your at
tention the fact that those two no.
table conferences of the Central Com
petitive Field and the Anthracite
Field offered to you, as an auxiliary
to your own council, joint commit
tees of operators and workers to
direct the production of coal on that
basis of mutual interest and mutual
confidence and efficiency.
"Doubtless through the immense
pressure o. duties resting upon you
that offer has been completely ignor-
ed and this vital, basic industry is
threatened with complete disruption.
If not protested against in time, and
if not successfully resisted at once,
your Committee oil Coal Production
would place the great coal areas of
the nation at the GIctation of known
enemies of union labor, with all the
calamities that would entail. Il would
defeat the maintenance throughout
the war Of hose union labor stand
ards - justice and efficiency which
the president of the United States
only week or two ago so nobly
pledged himself and this government
to maintain 1t would set at naught
those principles of industrial square
dealing which not only the United
Nine Workers have successfully ad-
vanced, but which the great associa
tions of mine owners themselves have
most splendidly and patriotically
agreed to and endorsed. Perhaps most
Of all, it would set the mine owners
who have recognized decent, humani-
tartan standards among their work
ers at the mercy of the cut-throat
competition of the worst employers
in the business. 1t would disrupt
all standards, all decency, all gen
timely patriotic ideals.
81 call your attention to the fact
that the remarkable statement issued
by this Committee on Coal Pro-
duction violates the very statement
of a high principle which at one
place it sets out-the principle that
a first essential at this time is CO.
operation and mutual confidence be-
tween employers and employees. Not
one representative of the workers
who produce the coal was consulted
in the preparation of the statement
and of the policies it proposes. And
a leading feature of those proposed
policies is the proposition that the
mine workers shall not be free to
work where they can produce the
most coal and where they can ad
vance the interests of the most ca
pable and humanitarian employers,
but must stay chained to the service
of the incapable, the unfair and un-
patriotic exploiters of labor and of
natural resources, if they happen
once to be in such employment. I'm
spite of all their willing sacrifices and
patriotism, the workers would be de-
MED the heretofore undisputed right
to advance their conditions of life
to those standards which the most
far-seeing and the most numerous
of their employers have already rec
ognized they were entitled to.
"a resolution or statement, unani-
mously adopted by our Executive
Board, which / have the honor to
submit herewith, sets out the proved
and answering loyalty of the Mine
tuo,,l,o.c of +ba aptira nation Our