Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-12-11
WHO STRIKES NEXT:

The coal strike Is over and coal pro.
duction is to be resumed at once. VIII
strikes next?
The inquiry is neither impertinent
nor irrelative. It is suggested inev'
itably by the developments in this
strike, for the history of the coal
strike is a direct encouragement to
every body of men sufficiently nu-
merous to enforce whatever demands
they may choose to make by the in
Fiction Of irretrievable injury on the
entire population Of the country. The
only essentials are sufficient numbers
and the will to apply force regard
less of who suffers.
/ What are the facts? q.
Late in October when the strike
seemed probable, the president Of the
United States, writing from, a sick
bed, denounced the contemplated &C.
ton Is immoral and unlawful, and
called attention to existing contracts
and to the manifest need of the coun-
try, and urged the miners to refrain.
Yet the strike wac called.
Tho attorney general OF the United
States. on the eve of the strike. issued
a solemn warning t. all persons con-
cerned, reiterating the pleas Of the
president. and declaring that the full
power of the government would be
used to protect the people from the
disaster which threatened them. Yet
the strike went into effect.
The government brought suit in q
competent court, setting forth the
facts and asking for orders restrain
ing those in charge Of the strike move
ment from proceeding on their un-
lawful course. Every contention Of
III government was admitted, and
every one of its requests was granted.
Yet the strike went on. ''
-Four hundred thousand men act
ing In concert, in pursuance Of 4
carefully arranged plan, and in re-
spouse to instructions from a central
authority, have continued for a. solid
month in the commission Of an act
which had been declared. =; unlawful,
and which was manifestly cruel and
inhu1nan. AS a result ~theswhole In
dustrial mechanism of the country has
been thrown out OF joint, hundreds Of
thousands of men have been thrown
out Of employment, and millions have
been made to suffer. How many
deaths are directly attributable to the
strike can never be known. These
results were direct, inevitable, and,
in their general aspects, intended, for
the strike vas skillfully timed for the
moment when the public would suffer
most from it, and when the public de-
mand for settlement on n terms
might be expected to be greatest.
The strike Is ended, not because of
the exercise of any authority by the
government to protect the people. but
because the strikers chose, in their
W good time, to accept concessions
which had been offered them. But
what II they had continued to refuse?
What If they had insisted on the 60
per cent advance which they demand
to 100 e cent?
from what has been developed in
this strike, when a. body Of men
choose to strike, no matter. for what
reason. and no matter what suffering
their action may bring upon the pub
Heat large. the public is helpless. It
follows that the men engaged In an
essential industry are able to enforce
whatever demands they may choose
to make, and that whether or. not
they will use this power depends, not
on the exercise Of any rights that the
public had. but on their own modor-
alton.
Frankly, We do not believe that this
Is the basis Of American government.
We believe that the nation has full
power to protect itself against any
disaster that may menace 1t. and that
failure to exercise that right on this
occasion is u to lack of leadership
rather than o'lack Of authority.