Morris tribune., 1919-12-19
BY EDWARD w. PlcKARD.

After causing financial losses run
ming far into the millions and wide
spread distress and inconvenience, the
strike of the soft coal miners came
to an end last Wednesday ON terms
that might just as veil have been &C.
copied a week or more earlier The
men resumed work at a wage advance
of IA per cent, which was just what
Fuel Director Garfield offered. They
have, however, saved face by accept
ing these terms from President Will
son himself, and the settlement in
cludes provision for the appointment
by the president of q commission that
shall determine the exact wage in
creases to which the miners are en-
titled. The public may console itself
for the suffering to which it has been
subjected by the reflection that it will
now receive the fuel for which it has
been clamOring and by the virtual as
surance Of the government that the
operators will not be permitted to sad
die upon it any of the increase they
are compelled to pay the miners.
Radical elements among the miners
strOve to upset the settlement, but
their motion to reject the offer was
voted down after hot argument. Act
ing President Lewis and Secretary
Treasurer Green, who had jOurneyed
to Washington to meet the government
authorities, were insistent that the
plan be accepted and they had their
hn0or IN +Ao
pits on Thursday, and though in some
regions they were slow in resuming
work, by the end of the week prOduc-
ton was again approaching normal.
The operators feared there would not be
enough cars to carry away the coal,
but were treasured on this point by
officials of the railroad administration.
First shipments were hurried to those
points in the w est that, without fuel,
were suffering exceedingly in the pre-.
.vailing cold weather.
Of course it will be months before
production at the mines can make up
for the long shutdown and reserves
are restored. Consequently the drastic
orders for conservation of coal, issued
by DIR. Garfield and by local commits
s1ons, remain in force to considerable
extent. In some Of the eastern cities
there was displayed great reluctance
to abide by these regulations and the
fuel administration had to threaten
the selfish recalcitrants with prosecu-
ton.
The HSmmissiOn on mine wages is
to be6appointed by President Wilson
and win consist Of three members. one
Of them an operator and one miner
1t is believed it will be able to make
its report within sixty days. 1t has
the power to readjust both wages and
profits as well as working conditions
The hope held out to them for more ac-
ceptable conditions in the future was
what induced the miners to accent the
settlement; in DR.. Garfield's offer. thew
said, they4- were given no chance be.
yond the IA per cent increase. The ne
ROTATIONS on behalf of the government
were carried on by Attorney General
Palmer, and his friends believed he
had thus squared himself with the
labor element whose i'll will he had
incurred by the injunction proceedings
at Indianapolis.
It was said in Washington that the
fuel administration was not highly
pleased by the terms of settlement.
fearing that the commission will not
regard the interests of the public with.
ont bias; that the operator and miner
on the board will get together and
that the consumer will, as usual, pay