Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1918-01-25
Astounding Order by Garfield
Stops Nations Industries
for Five Days.
CAUSED BY The COAL FAMINE
Nine Additional Holidays Decreed-
Storm of Protests Is UnavaiIing-At-
tacEs on Secretary Baker Continue
Central Powers Reject Russian
Peace Proposals.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD..


sIt is the earnest desire Of the fuel
administration to prevent entirely any
dislocation of industry or of labor
With these words, Fuel Administrator
most drastic and startling experiment
in domestic and war economy made by
this or any other government. For five
days beginning January Is every fac
tory and workshop in the region east OF
the Mississippi and including all of
Louisiana and Minnesota, was ordered
closed, with the exception Of those
manufacturing perishable food or food
for immediate consumption. Ten sue
cessive Mondays beginning January q
are ordered to be observed as holidays
when the consumption of coal shall
cease except in specified cases.
Doctor Garfield stated that he ex-
pected to save 100000 tons Of coal
by his order. Very likely he will, but
his plan, announced without warning,
brought tremendous storm about his
head. Innumerable business men,
whose affairs were dislocated despite
the earnest desire" of the administra-
tor, flooded Washington with protests
and. requests for revocation of the
order, but it had been issued after con-
sultation with and by direction of
President Wilson and the walters had
no chance for relief save in those indi-
vidual instances where it was neces-
sary to prevent injury to health or de-
struction of property.
Another and most important angle to
the situation was the enforced loss of
millions Of dollars in wages to work
ers. Some big concerns did not deduct
anything from the pay of their en-
ployees, but it was beyond hope that
this example would be followed by any
considerable number Of employers.
Congress, startled out of it's usual
deliberative calm, got into action i'm
mediately. The senate committee on
manufacturers called Doctor Garfield
before it and heard an explanation
that did not explain, and the senate
thereupon adopted resolution asking
that the order be delayed for five days
for investigation. This Administra-
tor Garfield, on advice of the president,
ignored. In the house various resolu-
tons were introduced, but immediate
action was blocked by certain Demo-
Gratis.
AS finally issued, the order per-
mitted ship yards and essential war in
dustries to get coal and remain in
operation during the five voorhees,
days.
The metropolitan press of the coun-
try in general bitterly scored Doctor
Garfield for his order and declared
that it not only was a CHASTITY mistake,
but exposed to the world the utter in
competence of America to meet a con-
dition that throughout the war has
confronted the nations allied with us
and vet has called for no such panicky
action by any one of them. The severe
winter weather which paralyzed traffic,
and the extraordinary demands for
fuel due to wartime conditions are
cited by Doctor Garfield as the causes
making necessary his order. The
miners blame the railroads for the coal
shortage, and the railroads blame the
starvation policy" of the government
toward them for the last generation.
More coal was mined in the United
States last year than ever before, the
output exceeding that of 1916 by TO-
100000 tons of anthracite and 42,000.-
900 tons Of bituminous. Of the output