Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-11-05
Gompers Says Vacating
Injunction Would Open
Way For Settlement

Washington, Nov. 3. - Withdrawal
of the injunction obtained by the
government will open the way for
settlement of the coal strike. de-
clared Samuel Gompers, president of
the American Federation of Labor.
Charging that the injunction was
a grave wrong and gross blunder, Mr..
Gompers said if it were vacated and
miners and operators invited to fur
ther conference by the Department
of Labor he had IAN abiding faith"
that mutually honorable adjustment
could be negotiated and effected.
whereby the coal strike can be
brought to an end"
Mr.. Gompers' statement was issued
after his return here from New York
and in response to numerous requests
for an expression as to chances of
bringing the strike to speedy end.
GOmpers' Statement
The statement follows:
Representatives. of newspapers
have asked me for statement re-
garding the coal strike and the stu
alton.
'In the first instance il should be
known that the demands of the min
ers, which upon the surface seem so
radical and far reaching, are by no
means So For several years the
miners have not had more than a
half years work-their working days
averaging from 160 to 1S0 days per
year. intermittent by days and by
weeks-employment and then unem-
ployment. The miners simply ask for
a regulation of the working time so
that coal production and employment
may be regular rather than intermit-
tent. If the miners were permitted
by the operators to work full time
the supply of coal thus mined would
soon force down the price of coal on
the market and this the operators are
determined not to permit. The min
ers' case might better be stated by
their demanding at least five days of
six hours work per week, which is
really more than they are permitted
to work at the present time. An un-
derstanding of these conditions clear
ly shows who are responsible for the
present situation and the cause.
when, in 1914, the miners received
an increase of 20 cents per ton, the
operators raised the selling price IS
per ton. Surely the conditions and
the standards of life of the miners
have deteriorated by reason of there
being no practical advance in their
wages and their earning power, while
the cost of living has scared higher
and higher.
THE mandate of the officers of the
United Mine Workers of America was
direct from the representatives of
the men who at the recent conven-
ton decided that unless a substan-
tial improvement in wages and a reg
ulation of the working time were
granted the strike order should be
issued to take effect November l..
President Lewis and his associates,
therefore. had no alternative particu-
larly when the mine operators left
the conference. leaving the repre-
sentatives of the miners alone.
"The Injunction secured by the At
torney General could not prevent the
strike for it was issued after the
strike notice had already gone forth.
The Injunction was not only grave
wrong but a gross blunder. 1t prac-
tically takes away the constructive
influence of the officers of the organi-
zation and indeed bars them from at
tempting to end the strike. Instead
of conservative leadership prevailing
1t places the whole movement in the
hands of local men who may vie with
each other and be at variance with
each other. If the injunction were va
Gated and the Department of Labor
invite the operators and the repre-
sentatives of the United Mine Work.
ers to a further conference. 1 have an
abiding faith that mutually honor
able adjustment can be negotiated
and effected whereby the coal strike
can be brought to an end"