The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1919-12-24
BOURNE SEES
SURRENDER IN
SETTLEMENT
OF STRIKE

Washington. Dec. 24-Tne Republican
/ Publicity Association through It's presi-
dent Hon. Jonathan Bourne. Jr. today
gave out the following statement from
lis Washington headquarters.
once more President Wilson has sur
rendered When the coal strike Was
threatened ii tho latter part Of Oeto-
ber tho President ISSUED a carefully
nrerarcd statement reciting the agree-
ment the coal miners had made fixing
terms 81 employment e. remain ii
force during the continuance ~ the
war but not beyond April l. 1920. aud
the resolutions Of the mine unions abro-
eating the agreement He then declared
! THAT tho war itself Is still fact that
troops We're still beng transported. and
hat strike under such circumstances
would be tho most far-reaching plan
ever presented in this country to limit
The facilities Of production and distri-
button of necessity of Ilfc5 with a
positiveness unqualified. tile president
asserted. "a strike under these circun
stances j. not only unjustihahie; it is
unlawful
Further pursuing the Same line Of
thought, he called upon the miners to
return % work. declaring. j feel It is
my duty III the public interests to declare
that any attempt 70 carry out the p4r-
pose Of this strike and thus To paralyze
the industry ~ the country. with the
consequent suffering and distress OF all
our people. must be considered grave
moral and legal wrong against the Gov
crnment and the people of the United
States
The Presidents Attorney General de
nounced the strike - unlawful and Sc
cured an injunction against it, Mr.
Palmer declared that The coal strike
is plain viol-tion 81 Federal statute.
All | can say IS that the law viii
be enforced The miners refused to 20
back to work and the President negoti-
ated with them until they secured terms
satisfactory to them when their leaders
consented to advise tho miners to re-
urn 70 the production DC coal.
President Wilson can now take hi=
choice of plain alternative. Either
ne was Incorrect in declaring the strike
unlawful or he has been guilty of
compromising with lawlessness. COM
romise by the Government with crim-
mai - nothing short Of surrender
.0n November 9Th Mr. Palmer was
quoted rs saying IN a speech at IIar-
risburg that no government worthy
OF tho name could permit the strike
weapon t. be used to enforce the de-
mands Of single class Of workers at
the expe~se Of all the workers Tho
strike was used, and tt continued to
be used until tho Government made con-
cessions which satisfied the mine -sork-
ers. no an intents ana purposes the
strikers have won. Although il Is true
that they have not attained all their
original demands. and probably never
expected to attain them, they have OBJ
tanned compromise under which they
secure a part of their demands and
Of obtaining all thar they ever
hoped to attain.
The miners have demonstrated that
8 strike Il an effective weapon and
that it can bring the president and
the Department 81 Justice to their
knees. There was contest between the
miners On the one hand and the Cow
eminent On the other. the executive and
Judicial branches or the Government
working together. and the miners have
won
The lesson from the strike Is perfect
iy plain. The word goes out u or
gained labor. Put your demands high
enough so that YOU have margin for
compromise, then strike, and continue |
the strike long enough. and you viii
win. The fact that the strike IS IN
lawful Will not stand III the way If sue
cess"