Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-31
ISSUES
Def TO MINERS
ON STRIKE EVE

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3O.-Attorne!
teneral Palmer outlined the position
f the government last night in tn
GLOWING statement:
There can be no doubt that
the government has the power in
the public interest, under she
law, to deal with the projected
strike of the bituminous coal
miners, without infringing upon
the recognized right of men in
any line of industry to work
when they please and quit work
when they please. The illegali-
ty Of this strike can and. will
be established without in any
way impairing the general right
to strike, and the general right
to strike is not in issue in any
sense whatever in the present
situation. This is true because
the circumstances differentiate
this case from the case of any
other strike that has ever aiken
place in the country. 1t does
not follow that every strike is
lawful merely because the right
TO SlIlhS Is ISCOSlllACo " C[AloI u
Every case must stand upon 1ts
own bottom and be governed by
it's own facts. Therefore, when
the president said in his state
ment last Saturday that "such
strike in such circumstances"
is not only unjustifiable, but
unlawful, reference was had
only to the conditions in the i'm
pending situation.
Outside Pale of Law
The proposed strike was or
dered in a manner, for a pur-
pose and with a necessary eff
feet, which taken together put
it outside the pale of the law.
After the war began the produc-
ton of fuel was regarded as one
of the subjects of such peculiar
public Importance as to justify
a special statutory enactment.
The fuel administration was Gre
ated to supervise the subject as
prices were considered and sane
toned by the fuel administra-
ton.
After the cessation of HOSTILE
ties the fuel administration sus-
pended certain of it's orders, but
did not terminate them, and they
are subject to reinstatement at
any time upon the presidents
order and the statute under
which the orders were made is
still in full force.
With this situation existing,
the convention of United Mine
Workers at Cleveland last Sep
TENDER decided to annul all wage
contracts on November ana
took the unprecedented step OF
deciding in advance of any OPP
portunity for consultation either
with the government or with the
coal operators, to strike on NO
vember 1, unless satisfactory
new arrangements should pc
made.
without Consent of workers
Without any expression from
the workers themselves, the
organization promulgated de-
mand for a 60 per cent increase
in wages, a six-hour day and a
five-day week, and authorized
a strike to be effective NoVem-
Der 1, before the demands were
even presented to the operators.
The demand for new wage
agreement covered only part
of the coal fields, but the strike
order was sent broadcast to
workers in other fields where
operators had been given no
opportunity to even consider de-
mands or increased wages or
decreased hours. All this has
been done while the miners in
every field, through their right
of collective bargaining, had en-
tered into a solemn contract
with the operators, fixing wages
and hours for a definite period,
which has not yet expired. The
operators, upon the insistence of
the president, indicated their
willingness to negotiate and ar
bitrate, providing the strike is
deferred, while the miners re-
jected the presidents request
for arbitration as a means of
settlement and refused to defer
the strike.
Some of the wage contracts
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