The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1919-12-25
Coal Shortage Becoming Acute
and People Demand That
the Strike Be Ended.
MIDDLE WEST IN DISTRESS
Miners Officials Cited for Contempt of
court-Diplomatic Relations With
Mexico Likely to Be Severed
Soon - Supreme Council
Calls German Bluff.
BY EDWARD w. PlcKARD.


"Give US coal, and quickly, was the
imperative demand of great part of
the American. public last week. So
serious had the fuel situation become
that it seemed a settlement of the dis
pute between the operators and min
ers must be forced by dire necessity.
In the northwestern and middle West
states the condition was aggravated
by severe cold wave, and the people
of that part of the country especially,
actually became alarmed by the pros
pect of freezing to death. Plans for
ending the strike at least temporarily
were as numerous as the planners,
but almost the only steps really TAX
en- were for the conservation of the
existing supplies of fuel. 1t is true
that in some of the western states the
operation of the mines was taken over
by the state government and volun-
teer miners were put at work under
protection of the state troops. This
was most commendable in principle,
but naturally the concrete results in
the way of coal to burn were not ex
tensive. Chicago, and Illinois general
ly, felt the pinch more acutely than
most regions, and prominent men
gathered and devised regulations to
curtail the use of coal. The state
public utilities issued these regula-
tions formally, and Governor Lowden
proclaimed them, and also planned to
ask the federal government to adopt
the same rules for the entire country
They cut the working day of stores
and factories to six and half hours,
and materially reduced the heating
and lighting service everywhere. Al
ready the regional coal committee had
cut off all new supplies from nones-
seltial industries. These rules prom
ised, within very short time, to
throw out of employment many thou,
sands of men and women.
New York city was not suffering
from the soft coal strike, because the
law permits it to burn only anthracite,
but it was worried by rumors that the
hard coal miners also might strike
soon. In general the Atlantic coast
states had enough fuel, and Director
General Hines was shipping hundreds
of carloads from there to the dis
tressed middle West.
The federal government got into
action again by filing in the district
court at Indianapolis, information
charging criminal contempt Of court
against "a international and district
officers of the miners union. These
leaders, who include Acting President
Lewis and Secretary Green, were sum-
moned to appear in court Tuesday and
answer the charges. OF course such
proceedings may result in the punish
ment of the accused men, but will
they get coal for the would-be con-
sumner? That is what the latter is in
terested in just now, and that only.
He is thoroughly. Disguised with the
whole wrangle and is no more in SYM
pathy with greedy operators than with
greedy miners. IL his We've both sides
public needs. and he demands that
they be forced into a compromise. The
suffering and financial loss to the peo-
pie already have been immense and
cannot now be checked entirely even
If coal mining is resumed at once But
the people do insist that they be kept
warm from now on.
Toward the end of the week hope
arose that the warning operators and
miners might reach an agreement. A
number of the largest operators form
ulated new wage scale offering
slightly more than the - per cent