Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-11-10
Why THE MINERS LOST


Why THE MINERS LOST
9rHB expected has happened and the
n United Mine Workers Of America
Nave lost their strike. Federal Judge
~ b. Anderson Of indianapolis satur-
~ ordered officials Of that organ
agatioA to withdraw their order calling
Aoo,0O members from the mines sup
plying the nation with coal. They are
given until Tuesday to comply with
the order. In delivering the mandate
from the bench Judge Anderson brand
"a the strike as the most lawless
thing" he ever saw and classed it as
nothing short of rebellion" The gov
ornment, he held, was supreme ev-
On to the labor unions.
The officers OF the United Mine
workers OF America must obey the
erder, or, standing in contempt of
court, go to prison for refusing. There
Il of course the possibility that the
miners may remain out irrespec-
tive of the recall of that order,
should the action be taken as directed
BY the court. However the action of
Judge Anderson breaks the backbone
TO continue their fight in the face of
Ii, mandates of federal tribunal. Ev-
On should the strikers fail to return to
work others will be found who will
take their place and gradually the
mines will be working again at some-
where near capacity. 1t is possible of
course for the leaders of the union to
continue and prolong the litigation by
taking an appeal from the order Of
Judge Anderson to higher court.
No strike instituted in the United
States has been more unpopular than
the coal strike. In the first place, the
miners, all of whom are well organ
lied, were not in the right. While
their leaders criticized the mine oper-
ators for refusing the new terms of the
union and called them coal barons"
the fact remained they were deliber-
ately violating the terms of an agree
ment they entered into with the same
''barons," and there was no way of
selves in position to lose the strike,
when they set the time for the walkout
on the very portals of winter, Novem-
Der 1. Coal was in demand then in
all parts Of the country. In fact it was
q necessity and the country could not
do without 1t. The strike, if prolonged,
was bound to cripple and eventually
stop industries and cause untold suf-
fering to millions of people. Even If
entirely in the right the miners would
never have been justified in calling a
strike at this time of the year. But
they were wrong In the first instance
and they only made their case more
unpopular by walking out.
Judge Anderson took a courageous
stand when he directed that the strike
order be recalled. He will no doubt
be roundly condemned by the strike
leaders but he will be thanked by mil
Hons of people who have lived in fear
ever since the strike became effective
/ that they would have to face great
suffering from lack of fuel Judge An
| derson saw what the officers of the
| United Mine Workers OF America APP
| parently did not, or IL they did, ignored
TIA nation standing still with the
wheelA of industry rusting, hundreds
Of thousands OF people thrown out of
work and general industrial disaster.
This he classed as ''irreparable in
FURY" He refused to delay the pro-
ceedings because the questions at is
sue were of such vital importance to
the whole country that they must be
settled immediately"
Judge Anderson's conclusions and
findings would probably have carried
grsater force had he given them after
hearing the argument of the counsel for
the union. The case having been called
for hearing. the attorneys for the
United Mine workers were entitled tt
their day in court" Judge Anderson
was apparently convinced that the Lev.
- act. making It unlawful for any
person to conspire to limit the supply
~ distribution Of fuel or food in time
~ war. was still in full force. HI
6Wept al legal technicalities aside, and
fDlsd directly on the issue. While there
may be = difference Of opinion as te
NJ procedure the court followed, there
~ ~ no difference on the fact thai
- Un3tsd states government IL su.
Drsene
Il the miners themselves were lef,
~ oottIo the walkout they would b.