Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-11-08
GOMPERS MAKES
FUTILE EFFORTS
To SETTLE COAL
FIELDS STRIFE
Labor Chieftain's Eleventh
Hour Tender of Olive Branch
of Peace Is FIatIy Rejected
By the Government.
PAL MER'S REFUSAL is
SHORT, TO THE POINT
Says Injunction viii Not Be
QuaShed Until Strike Order
Is withdrawn Court Hear
ing Is Set for Today,
tsr soshrse 'ouas ~ SPECIAL l1,rro wrpsI

teY @osLtNe iouRN SPECIAL L1NrEo wIREl
| Washington, Nov. 7.-EleVenth-
hour efforts by Samuel Gompers to
settle the coal strike were met tonight
| by emphatic declaration from the
government that injunction proceed
ings would be dismissed the instant
the strike order was withdrawn-and
not before.
This final decision was given to Mr..
Gompers, heading delegation of
high labor officials, at the close of the
third conference of day by Attorney
General Palmer, and after Mr.. Com
pers had talked over the telephone
with John L. Lewis, acting head of the
United Mine Workers of America, at
Indianapolis
Mr.. Gompers, fighting hard to have
the government drop its injunction
suit set for hearing tomorrow, plainly
showed that he was under nervous
strain as he left the department of JUS
tice. flatly and bluntly refusing on his
way out to say one word about the three
conferences of hope of ending the
strike of more than 400, 600 miners be-
fore the United States could press its
suit against officers of the miners or
ganization.
Attorney General Palmer, to whom
Mr.. Gompers referred all requests for
information, refused to see newspaper
men.
"Mr Palmer wishes me to say that
he will have no statement tonight 9TH
er than he made as he left the cabinet
meeting" his secretary announced,
Palmer's Curt Reply.
There were only eighteen words in
the statement Mr.. Palmer dictated to
newspaper men as he left the White
House after the cabinet meeting and
an earlier conference with President
Wilson.
'The injunction proceedings against
the coal miners leaders will be dis
missed the instant the strike order is
recalled said the attorney general
and his utterance stood tonight as the
final word from the government on
the eve of what may be the beginning
tomorrow of the greatest labor issue
under litigation in the history of the
country.
Through the day, although it was
on the lip of all official Washington
that the government and miners were
considering new plans for ending the
struggle without further resort to law,
the feeling grew that hearing on the
restraining order set for tomorrow
morning in the federal court before
Judge Anderson at indianapolis,
would be postponed without preju-
dice to either side"
The department of justice will not
ask for a postponement, but whether
it might oppose the request if miners
asked for more time, not an unusual
proceeding, officials declined to say.
The only thing that can stop the
proceedings started by the United
States is for the miners to call off the
strike" the attorney general reiterat-
ed time and again.
Does Gompers Desire Peace?
The persistency with which Mr..
Gompers presented pfea after plea 10
the attorney general indicated his
earnest desire to bring peace to the
coal fields before the battle is waged
more heatedly in the federal courts.
Accompanied by Mathew Woll, vice
president, and Frank Morrison, sec
retary of the American Federation of
Labor, Mr.. Gompers saw Mr.. Palmer
before the latter went to the White
House for a word with the president
and to outline the strike situation to
the cabinet.
The second meeting took place i'm
mediatey after the cabinet session
adjourned. 1t lasted an hour, and
when the labor leaders departed they
were far more cheerful than they
seemed tonight Mr.. Gompers told
the attorney general they would re-
turn later, and Mr.. Palmer intimated
that Mr.. Gompers would talk mean
while with Lewis.
Somebody asked Mr.. Gompers, as
he was entering the elevator after his
third conference, If he had talked
with Lewis. He wheeled about and
snapped out that he would not an
swer that and would not say anything
at all about any of the conferences
or strike.
Various theories were advanced az
to the apparent difference in the at
titude of the labor leaders after the
second and third conferences. Re-
turning to his office tonight Mr., |
Gompers remained there for several
hours and was in communication with
labor officials here and elsewhere.
Cabinet Members Silent.
Not much came out of the cabinet !
meeting. All of the members de-
clined to say what was taken up, al
though Secretary Glass, a trltle more |
smilingly turned his
questioners away by saying 1t was
just an hour and a half wasted.
The stand pat policy of the govern
ment and its determination, as one
official expressed it. to 'go through
with the injunction suit" still has the
undivided support of the cabinet it
was said. and the absolute approval
of President Wilson. The widely cur
rent reports that Secretary of Labor
Wilson himself miner, had strongly
opposed court action, were not de-
MED, but it was emphasized that the
was unanimous against with
drawaI of the restraining order unless
the strike was called off.
No Word From Operators.
There was no word from the opera
tors, and while reports from their
agents indicated slight gains in the
number of miners working in West
there was no change in the
general situation. Director General
Hines and Fuel Administrator Gar
field explained to the cabinet today
|