Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-11-12
ENDED sur NOT slrrlrp.

The government put an end to the
coal mineIs' strike which now puts "
up to the government to put an end 10
the wage controversy, The demand OF
the miners for more pay was either
right or II was wrong, just now the
public suspicion is that 1t was case
Of profiteering in wages but II this Is
not true the operators should be mace
to come across with conditions that
will yield fair wage. This strike can
not stay settled until the controversy
over wages is settled and It Is up to
the government to set up a board OF
arbitration which will settle it.
The records Of the Illinois Mine OPP
orators Association show that machine
miners make $3.50 per day and aver
age $4,000 per year while leaders make
1851 per day and average $500 Pc
year. II these figures are correct the
coal miner is getting O good wage for
the work he does even in these times.
Miners union officials contend that
work is so uncertain and shut downs
at the mines so frequent that the aV-
erage earnings OF miners are much
nearer 81, 300 per annum than other
wise. Even If this were true the fault
lies with the conditions that cause the
mines to run internationally more than
with the wage. 1t is notoriously true
that when wages get too high many
coal miners themselves prefer three
days work to six in the week. This is
neither good for the miner nor for the
rest of the people who have to work
six days IN order to buy coal.
The coal mines of this country
should run continuously six days IN
the week and eight hours per day FOL
every month in the year. II the gov
eminent railroad administration fails
to take coal away from the mines as
fast as il is mined reform the railroad
administration. II the public and the
dealers fail to buy coal in the slack
season fix a differential in the price
which will induce the public to store
coal In the summer. Steady work at
a fair wage and the maximum produc-
ton Of fuel at the least cost is what
will be best for the coal miner and for
the public as we'll
But let this strike menace be
warning to our congress right now.
Where could the government have in
tervened had there been no war emer-
sency act in force? Should railway
union seek to tie up the railroads OF
the country are we going to use the
army and start civil war that the peo-
pie may live? It would have helped
to arouse the American people to a
realisation Of the social condition con-
them had the coal strike gone
on long enough to shut down factories,
throw other union men out of employ
ment and empty the coal bin Of the
average voter. Then congress would
be able to see the need for laws that
will limit the right to strike in those
industries which are vital to the life
or protection of all the people. In law
every organized strike is conspiracy.
We have gone along on the theory that
they are all lawful conspiracies and
they have been until the coal strike
bumped into the war emergency fuel
law. What the country needs now is
a law that will make a few more of
these strike conspiracies unlawful; not
those that are confined to strictly pri-
vate industry but those which involve
the public service, common carriers,
public utilities and basic necessities OF
life.