The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1919-10-30
THE COAL MINES
MUST BE OPERATED.
General Strike Ordered for Nov
i Declared Unlawful BY
President. and Says
Law Be Enforced

Law 06 x9AAOACCO
The coal miners strike orde
stands, the conference Of leader
Of the miners union having ad
iourned without, recinding tn
order or taking further actiol
looking tc compliance with Presi
dent Wilson s request that tn
mines be kept open. No furthe,
word anent the situation was ha(
from Washington as to what NOV
the government would make. Th.
miners continue to place th,
blame for the proposed walk -out
at the door of the mine operators
lThis is the gist of news coming
over the wires tbs morning re
garding the coal strike outlook)
The following is resume Of the
news to date of the Threatened
strike Of 100000 coal miners,
which, ,Sif carried out and should
result in closing the mines, would
bring about disaster unmeasur-
able:
Washington, Oct. 25.- Holding
the impending coal, strike to be
not only unjustifiab1e but also un-
lawful. President Wilson in a
statement issued tonight with the
support Of his entire cabinet, call
ed on the coal miners Of the ma
ton, both union officers and mem
bers, to rescind the strike order
effective Nov. /.
The president declined to enter
into the merits Of the controversy
between the miners and operators
but emphatically declared that
the strike, which he characterized
as the most far-reaching proposal
in the nations s history to r0itrict
production and distribution of all
necessaries Of life,. had apparently
been ordered without vote of
the individual miners. For this
reason the president served def
mite notice "that the law will be
enforced and the means will be
found to protect the interests of
the nation in any emergency that
may arise out of this unhappy
business.
The presidents statement was
issued tonight after his cabinet
had gone over the entire situation
with Secretary Wilson of the lab
or department whose efforts to
bring the miners and operators to-
gether in negotiations had failed.
The president reviewed the
steps leading up to the strike, call,
including the Cleveland conven-
ton of the United Mine Workers
of America one month ago at
which demands for thirty hour
week and sixty per cent Increase
in wages were formulated. The
war itself, the president asserted,
was still fact, peace negotiations
still in suspense and troops still
being transported. Because OF
these factors and the added con-
sideration that the strike victims
would be among both the rich and
the poor, he said the proposed
walkout could only be considered
as unlawful and as the nations
executive entrusted with enforce
ment Of the law, he would use the
means at his disposal to prevent
any stoppage Of work.
The. services Of the government
as a mediator, offered yesterday
by the president through Secre-
tary Wilson, but not accepted
were again held out.
There was no direct intimation
OF what steps the cabinet had dis
cussed to prevent stoppage OF
work should the president s sol
emn warming to rescind the strike
order fail of result. 1t was re-
garded as significant that atten-
ton was drawn in White House
circles to the statements made Dy,
Secretary Baker in recent adj
dress in Cleveland, when Mr.. Bak-
er announced that department
commanders had been directed to
furnish troops at the request OF
governors without referring to
Washington.
Washington, Oct. 26. The
whole country waited expectant-
ly today for the miners answer
to President Wilson s blunt COM
mand that the soft coal strike or
dered for Saturday be called off.
There was not word, however,
TO show where the United Mine
Workers of America stood, or
what the government would do in
the event the presidents s solemn
warning that the mines must be
Kept IN full and continuous opera
tlon was ignored.
considering the temper of lab
or' offlcial Washington took the
view that whila thora wac hona