Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-11-19

Half the month has passed since the coal strike vent
into effect. and the indtcatisnss arrasthst coat prtpdtkaon is
as completely: tiedsu as the strikers could Nave desired.
The strike has been dectared unlawful ana Immoral BY
the president Of the United states. : vote which might
as well have been unanimous congress has declared Its
willingness to support the national administration In
whatever steps might be necessary to avert the Calamity
involved in q serious cu%rtailment OF the nations fuel sup
ply at this time. A federal court, brushing aside all. ex.
traneous issues, has ruled the strike to be illegal. and has
ordered the officials acting for the miners to cancel, their
instructions calling the strike. The. order demanded by
the court has been prepared, approved and delivered.
Everything has worked out admirably except with refer
once to the single matter ofssuprene Importance the pro-
duction OF opal. Tho miners are still having q. vacation.
the mines are. idle, and the country is not getting coal.
The supply Of coal is SO near the point Of exhaustion
that the following things are in sight. .:.. ! ,s,. VS.
Drastic curtailment Of freight and passenger, service
on all railroads.. 4.a *s 81 .@ 44a,a: j
Shutting down Of all industries which, in the opinion
of the authorities are non-essential.}
: Enforced closing of other industries because OF in
ability to obtain fuel. a.: (.
Enforced idleness of fifteen, million workmen.. due to
the same cause. &, $& %%s .s.&s "
The closing of schools. churches, stores and. all places
Of business In many communities which now have prac-
tically no fuel on hand. HT3 s NJ
Inconvenience. suffering, and even, fatal privation to
individuals and families all over the land.
Is the country helpless in the face of this prospect?
The strike has lasted two weeks. Suppose it lasts two
weeks more;. or two months; or six months. Steps have
been taken in Kansas to have receivers appointed for the
mines. and similar steps are being considered in: other
states. Very well. What next? A receiver cannot dig
much coal without assistance. The only way in which coal
can be produced is to get men into the mines to dig it.
The four hundred thousand men who would ordinarily be
mining coal arc kept from that work by an agreement
which the court, has declared unlawful. Suppose those
men show no greater inclination to work for receivers than
they do now to work for the mine owners2 We shall still
have no coal. . "a %s "a ts
Attention has been directed to the fact that the North
Dakota mines. alone of all the mines in the country. are
producing coal. The c~onsummate statesmanship Of the
governor Of North Dakota was shown in his course in
stirring up a strike when there was no prospect of one
in this state, and then in using the emergency which he
had created as a basis of a movement for the further So
cfalzation OF the state. His intent in this matter is clear
ly indicated in his statement made in Chicago anticipat-
ing the permanent assumption of control Of the coal
mines by the state. Possibly the federal government
might be able to make a bargain Of the same sort. Have we
reached the stage where the functions Of our government
are to be determined by the throttling process, by . the
threat of starving or freezing the people to death ?&Haye
we reached the point where in opposing the principles
and the methods Of the Bolsheviki and the 1. w. W.. we
are merely buttins our heads against a stone wall? Is >