The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-11-04
STILL open
TO BARGAIN,
SAYS LEWIS
Miners Head Announces That
Bargaining Machinery is In
tact, and Miners Are Ready
to Negotiate Wages.
PREPARE FOR HEARING
(By Associated Press)

(By Associated Press)
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Nov. a.
Breaking his silence here for the first
time since he was served with the re-
strain1ng order from the court of Fed
eral Judge A. B. Anderson last Fri
day, John L. Lewis. acting president
OF the United Mine Workers of Ameri-
ca. gave out the following brief state
ment in regard to government efforts
to end the strike of approximately
425,000 soft coal miners:
Ihe machinery of the joint system
OF bargaining in the mining industry
is intact. 1t would be a simple matter
for the government and the coal opera
tors again to set it in motion to ne
sotlate wage agreement"
The statement was given to the
press representatives. following a con-
ference Mr.. Lewis had with his attor-
ney, which lasted practically all the
morning. The miners leader said he
had nothing to add to the typewriter
statement and none of the other Of
flclals made any comment.
Reports from the Indiana soft coal
district today Indicate there has been
no breaks in the ranks of the union
o.,
agreeing that not single railroad
mine in the district is in operation
No violence has been reported and
many miners during their enforced
vacation" are helping the formers in
the southwest part of the state save
| their lowland crops from high water.
Others are doing odd jobs about their
| homes and some are employed on
| street improvements in hteir home
! towns
| A meeting of Indiana coal operators
is announced to be held in Terre
! Haute tomorrow. at which the strike
will be the main topic, it was said,
| but the plans of the operators were
| not announced.
Attorneys for both sides are at work
preparing their sides of the injunction
case. which will come up in federal
court Saturday. The case. in addi-
ton to the question of whether a tenn
porary Injunction is issued, involves a
petition that the miners officials be
commanded to cancel the strike order.
| The governments case here is in
the hands OF Dan W. Simms of Lafay-
cite, who was appointed special dis
trict attorney on account of the mass
of regular court work with which Dis
| trict Attorney L. Ert Slack is occu-
pied. Attorneys for the miners who
/ are in Indianapolis. include Henry
! Warrum of Indianapolis, Fred c. Heub-
ner of Abba, Iowa. A. w. Kerr and
W. J. Mcdonald. of Springfield. Ill.
and Harold Henderson of Terre
Haute, Ind.
Situation Unchanged.
The situation in the Indiana coal
fields has not changed since Friday
night when the strike order became
effective. approximately $4,000 miners
! are out and apparently there have
been no reflections from their ranks
Operators announced last night that
whistles at the mines would be blown
and miners trains operated to and
from the mines until the strike ends.
Thus far no effort has been made to
operate any mines with non-union la
| Dor.
To meet the coal shortage in Indi-
| ana. it was announced last night. fol-
lowing a meeting of public utility op-
orators with the Indiana public SER
| vice commission, institution OF light
| less nights of war time throughout
Indiana may be expected at any time,
as we'll as other steps toward curtai-
ment of gas, power and water, through
the conservative use of which coal
might be saved.
HOPE SHOWN IN CAPITAL
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4.-Develop-
ments today were looked forward to
here as likely to afford an index TO
the duration Of the coal strike. A spir-
it OF hopefulness that the end Of the
strike was near was prevalent.
Government officials were of the
opinion that the broad powers Of the
federal court injunction in shutting
off the strike funds would force the
| miners to return to work and bring
the strike to a close. Labor leaders
themselves were said to hold the view
that the miners could not hold out
long for lack of subsistence caused by
the operation of the injunction.
At the regular meeting of the cabi-
net today numbers planned to give the
coal strike particular attention.
Agents of the department of justice
reported to headquarters here that
non-union miners were working on full
time and that defections from the
union ranks were noticeable. Despite
the hope of early resumption of full
coal moning operations, however. gov
eminent agencies were continuing
their precautions to conserve the avail