Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-21
PENNYPACKER IN
COAL-STRIKE CRISIS
Strong Assertion of Governors
Right to Go Over Sheriffs'
Heads
rENNyrAcKEx Aurop,ocKArnY-No. Sc

| FINlliGN came the inevitable coal strike of
which Roosevelt had told me that he
| had Information and which, as he indicated.
| he had planned to come into Pennsylvania
and manage as he had done during the Ad
ministraton Of Governor Stone. At once,
without consultation with him or anybody
| else. wrote this letter to George T.. Baer,
the president Of the Philadelphia and Read
| Ing Railway Company, and to John Mitch
| ell, of Indianapolis, the head of the labor
organization which had control of the
strike:
March a. 1901.
| Dear Sir--rhe Commonwealth of Penn.
| sylvania expects that every reasonable
| effort will he made by the parties in
terested to accommodate the differences
between coal operators and coal miners
and to avert the strike which is now
| threatened. Yours very truly.
| SAMUEL W. PENNYPACKER.
This simply intended as notice to
| both OF them that the interests of the Com.
| monwealth were TO he considered. and that
she did not propose tn sit idly by and per.
| NIT them to involve her in difficulty. They
| were holding conferences, each side reso-
lutte, and in the meantime the anthracite
| region lay idle. Coal Is a public necessity.
and TO deprive the people of ii was to infiict
great suffering The New York sun read
| the letter correctly. In an editorial, April
| 6, IL read: Between the lines of this timely
message we think an intimation can he
read that the present Governor of Pennsyl.
vania will he prepared to employ the last
resource of his authority to keep the peace
and preserve to all men their rights"
On the 18TH. sent forth this announce.
ment
/ announce to the people of Pennsyl.
vanit that the deposit of 81 .O3O.0 900 in the
| Enterprise National Bank a national
bank which failed on the eighteenth day
| of October. 1905. together with interest
| of $14,343.14, has been paid into the
| Treasury OF the Commonwealth, and in
your behalf thank the State Treasurer
| Nlathues) for the care with which this
deposit, when made. was safeguarded and
| for the promptness with which it has
| been collected.
| | likewise announce that on the third
| of April, 1906. there was paid into the
Treasury s236.762.65, collected from the
| United states Government for moneys
| loaned to it by this Commonwealth in
| the War of 1872.
Truth Hidden BY Politics
II is a psychological phenomenon. For
the purposes of a. political campaign, by
suggestion that possibly the money might
| pt iuSh' lilt ptopf 'tulu bt Ntlhtu up llN'
a frenzy and persuaded To put an incapable,
| like Berry, in charge of their finances. The
| proof that 1t was safe in the Treasury was
treated with absolute Indifference. The
fact that moneys due for century had
been finally collected attracted no attention
whatever. and no journal thought II worth
its while to say a word of appreciation.
| Still trying to make the most of the stua.
ton, the Record said: Political pull Sc.
cured for the Enterprise Bank heavy de-
posits of State money which served to give
it the appearance of stability and lured the
credulous people of Allegheny to rntrust
it with their private savings"
On the 17th began i'm Philadelphia the
celebration by the American Philosophical
Society. the Oldest scientific organization. in
the United States. and the University of
| Pennsylvania. of the 200th anniversary Of
| the birth OF Benjamin Franklin. Many
men of distinction in science and others
conspicuous in the various walks of life
| came from over the world to attend.
Among them were Hugo de Vries Of Am.
sterdam; Sir George II. Darwin son OF
| Charles Darwin; Alois Brandt. of Berlin;
Gugielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless
telegraphy. and Andrew Carnegie There
was dinner at the Belevue.Strat Ford at
which I made speech. On my left sat
Henry Cabot Lodge, of Massachusetts. cul.
tivated and sincere. and next to him Elhu
Root, OF New York, stronger but less re.
liable.
DR.. 7. Minis Hays. the energetic secre.
tary of the American Philosophical Society.
was most responsible for the success OF
! the demonstration.
Coal Strike Proclamation
The affair of the coal strike grew more
heated, and May issued this proclama
hon:
Whereas, industrial disturbances have
| recently arisen in various parts OF the
| Commonwealth accompanied by manifes-
| tatons of violence and disorder. now.
therefore. J. Samuel Whitaker Penny
| packer. Governor of Pennsylvania. do
issue this my proclamation and call upon
! all citizens by their conduct. example and
| utterances, whether printed or verbal. 10
assist in the maintenance of the law.
| Times of commotion furnish the test of
the capacity of the people for self-gov-
ernment. Every man Is entitled to labor
and get for his labor the highest COM
pensation he can lawfully secure. There
| is no law to compel him to labor unless
| he so chooses, and he may cease to labor
| whenever he considers it to be to his IN
terest so to cease. The laboring man, out
OF whose efforts wealth arises has the
sympathy OF all disinterested people in
his lawful struggles to secure a larger
| proportion of the profit which results
from his labor. What he earns belongs
TO him, and If he invests his earnings
the law protects his property just as the
rights OF property of all men must be
| protected He has no right to interfere
with another man who may want 10
labor. Violence has no place among us
and will not be tolerated
Let all men in quiet and soberness keep
the peace and attend to their affairs with
the knowledge that it is the purpose of
the Commonwealth to see that the prin-
clples herein outlined are enforced.