The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-11-13
GOVERNOR DECLARES
Martial LAW IN STATE
North Dakota Ignite Mines to be OPP
Grated by the State Until Strike is
j, Settled.

martial law Tor the state IN regard TO
operating Ignite mines. Unless the
union miners and operators settle
their differences, the governor prom
Uses that the state will operate the
mines, continuing to do so until the
matter of wage agreement is settled.
brennan of Montana, who has
charge of the situation for the miners
in Montana and North Dakota, arriv-
ed in Bismarck yesterday afternoon
and at once conferred with the gov
ernor. It is expected that the miners
will receive orders to go back to work,
altho brennan states that up to We'd
nesday afternoon, the Montana and
North Dakota miners had not been no
titled that the strike was called off.
In case the state operates the mines,
the mine4 will receive their 60 per
cent increase. This will mean an in
creased cost in the production of coal.
At present, the mine operators are un-
der orders from the federal fuel ad-
ministration not to charge more than
$3.50 aston for Ignite at the tipple.
The question now arises, if the state
grants this increase, will the state be
allowed to demand this increase at the
tipple? If not, will the state itself
have to make up the deficit? Under
any circumstances, if the demand is
granted, the consumer will have to
foot the bill, either directly or indi-
rectly.
The Governors Proclamation.
The proclamation which Governor
Frazier issued reads:
''When a strike in the Ignite coal
fields was threatened on November 1,
1919, !, Lynn j. Frazier, as governor,
Immediately called upon, the officials
Of the United Mine Workers of Am
erica for modification of the strike
order SO far as it affected the Ignite
coal miners Of the state. pointed
out to them the seriousness of the sit
uation owing to the Unusually severe
cold weather at this time, the prospect
of long cold winter and the imminent
danger Of loss of life and extreme suf-
fering Of the innocent public if the
strike took place.
"The officials Of the United Mine
Workers of America responded
promptly, modifying the strike order
by suspending the strike. They sug-
gested a conference with me, which l
granted, and following which I also
invited the mine operators for COM
ference. At the conference the Unit
ed Mine Workers made certain propos-
ais which under the circumstances in
this crisis appeared reasonable to me,
and presented them to the mine op-
orators, who seemed fairly disposed
and apparently were ready to accept
them; but later there developed
among the majority Of the operators,
principally of one of their number and
an attorney, an Indifferent attitude,
and an admission on the part of the
operators that all his company was
after was profits. The public welfare
or the suffering Of the people seemed
to be secondary consideration.
Says Forces" at Work.
"It may become apparent that there
were certain forces at work to pre-
vent the operators from reaching a
conclusion and that delay had become
the sole purpose Of the ruling factors,
Who and what those forces were the
public may Judge as we'll rs I. It is
an interesting commentary upon the
attitude of the mine operators that
the proposals which were presented to
them, il accepted, would have caused
them no financial loss.