The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1919-11-28
COURT COMMANDS
STRIKE TO CEASE
LEADERS ORDERED TO MEET
AND CANCEL WALkoUT Or
DER TO COAL MINERS
WARTIME LAW WAS VIOLATED
Government Introduces Testimony e
Show That Railroads Were Being
lnterfered With and That Con.
tracts Had Been Violated

Indianapolis. Nov. decentralization
Of the strike order which, since mid.
night of October 81, has kept 42o.OW
union bituminous coal miners out OF
the pits of the country, was ordered
by Judge A. +. Anderson in the fed
eral district court here Saturday.
Violation of the wartime federal
food and fuel control act, as alleged
by the attorney generals department,
was affirmed by the court. who said
that the strike was not only illegal. but
that under the circumstances it ap
preached rebellion.
Unless the union leaders choose to
defy the court-and there is no indi.
cation of any such intention-they can
move only toward ending the big walk.
ont. The courts order WAS SO word
ed that failure to cancel the strike
or call any affirmative word or ac-
ton tending to laid and abet" the con.
tinuance of the strike. would make
them violatorS of the injunction and
in contempt of court.
Therefore the union leaders are un
der orders to meet here today. draw
up a cancellation of the strike order.
submit it for Judge AnderSon'> APPROX
al by 10 a. m. tomorrow. and have
notice Of it on the way to all local
and district unions by & y. nj. that day.
kilograms summoning district presi.
dents of the union and members OF;
the executive board and the central
competitive field scale committee to
meet here today, were dispatched a
few hours after Judge Anderson's
sweeping mandate had been issued.
Union officials here refused to com.
ment on the court action.
C. Il. Ames. assistant attorney gen
eral, who conducted the case for the
government. smiled and said:
"The decision speaks for itself"
Attorneys ADr the union fought a
losing fight from the start Of the pro-
ceedings. First. they moved postpone.
ment for Il week. indicating that there
was q chance for settlement Of the
Strike Dy lnaI IlWe.
Mr.. Ames objected to postponement
and the court ordered the case to pro-
coed.
Then the government introduced
five affidavits as evidence that the
operation Of the railroads was being
interfered with and that contracts be.
tween employers and miners had been
broken. The defense responded with
Its motion for dissolution of the re-
straining order and arguments follow.
ed. Although allowed an hour and a
half, Judge Ames took only IS minutes
in presenting the governments case.
He based his argument on President
Wilson's denunciation Of the strike
and said that the structure of the
government was endangered by the de.
PENDANTS violation of the fuel control
law.
From that point the proceedings
were pressed by Judge Anderson. who
gave the attorneys for the defense lit
tie opportunity TO go into legal points
which they tried to get into the rec.
ord. He upheld in every particular
the contentious of the government that
the strike was illegal under the Lever
food and fuel act and said that the up
holding Of this act was the only Ques.
ton before the court.
At one stage he indicated that the
right to strike was not applicable TO
the case, because none of the defend
ants was earning his living by working
as a miner. but he allowed the argu.
ments to proceed on the theory that
of the miners. carrying out orders
given by their principals.
Almost Immediately, however. the
court threw the discussion back tc
the wartime powers of the fuel and
food control law and advised the de-
Tense attorneys not to waste time by
arguing other questions. Judge Ander
son next Stifled this line of debate
also by announcing that he was goin:
to hold the Lever act constitutional
and in effect until President Wilson
formally DEGREES the end of the war.
This case" he said. on issuing th'
injunction. ''involves solely the queS
ton of enforcing the law. 1t is my
absolute duty to uphold the law, which
no man and no body of men has the
right to override. Were We to sub
init to even the slightest degree 4 con
trary right. we would undermine the
foundations of the republic.
The government is right in seeking
to uphold its own laws and in askin:
its court to aid it. These men hav.
done an illegal act from which IRE
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