The Mena weekly star., 1919-04-24
CONTEMPT" IN
 COAL MINE STRIKE
Fuel Administrator Garfield Threat ems to Revoke Wage Increase and President Howat Rejects Cow
 ardly Proposition"

flLtsburB, haS., Aprit ZU.-h. A. Garfield, federal fuel administrator, yesterday in a message to Alexander Howat, president of District 14, Unit ed Mine Workers, threatened to re- yoke the provision of the agreement between the coal miners and the coal operators of November, 1917, which gave the miners an increase of S1.4O a day, unless Howat ordered the strik- ing miners of the Central Coal & Coke Company to return to work while he, Howat, met with the labor bureau and submitted the grievances of the miners.
 Howat in answer wired to Garfield that he rejected with contempt the cowardly proposition submitted" The miners, lHowat wired, are prepared to fight to the last ditch against the au- tomatic penalty clause which he de- nounced as infamous.
 The message of Garfield to Howat follows:
 "The action taken by you and Will kinson in calling strike and the rea- sons you give are altogether unsat- isfaetory. AS wired you yesterday, I do not pass upon the merits of the con troversy by calling your attention to the fact that you have not proceeded according to the Washington agree ment which still holds and which ap- plies in your case
 fbax x,,D..r ( ,-... ..x.....~4 t.. ing contrary to the Washington agreement and the mine workers of your district support your proposal to disregard that agreement and con- tinue on strike I shall issue state ment to all miners and operators in your district that you, having repudi- ated the Washington agreement, the operators in Districts IA and 21 are no longer bound to pay the wage ad- vance of $1.40 secured by that agree ment in order that the controversy may be adjusted without resort to stringent measures.
 "I earnestly request that you wire me your acceptance to meet with our bureau of labor at your earliest op- portunity ither.sin.. Washington CT wherever is agreeable to all parties and that mines resume operation pending final adjustment of your grievances.
 (Signed) "H. A. GARFIELD"
 To the Garfield message Howat re- piled:
 T reject with contempt the cow ardly proposition submitted by you.
 "This, suppose, is the miners re- ward for their loyalty to our gov- ernment during the war in which our country was engaged, in which our members made every sacrifice and re- sponded to every call in producing coal, buying Liberty bonds, donating to the Red Cross and also giving up their lives on the battietields of Eu- rope fighting for our country.
 Now we are going to fight for our selves to establish for the miners the principles of democracy and justice which they fought to obtain for oth- CTS. The mine workers have suffered under the iron heel of oppression for the past eighteen months under the infamous automatic penalty clause. We don't propose, however, to submit to the world of dictator any longer.
 q therefore desire to say that as far as l am concerned the strike in this district will continue until the operators make satisfactory settle ment to the miners in this district, al- so in District 21.
 "We are prepared for any emer- gency and intend to fight to the last ditch.
 (Signed) ALEXANDER HOWAT,
 President District No. IA, United
 Mine Workers"