Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1919-11-07
THE NINE STRIKE

relative to the coal strike now in pro-
gress. 1t briefly and clearly analyzes
the situation and concisely states the
true reasons for the existing trouble.
From the capitalistic press all over
the country come editorial denuncia-
tions of the refusal of the officials Of
the United Mine Workers to call off
the strike ordered by their last con-
vention From nowhere in the coun-
try from these papers comes any
editorial denunciations of Judge Gary
for refusing to meet the representa-
tives of his employees.
Labor has long contended that
there are two kinds of justice, one for
the rich and the other for the poor.
1t is becoming more and more evident
that this is true.
Judge Gary is responsible for the
steel strike, because he refused to
negotiate with the steel workers.
The coal operators are responsible
for the coal strike because they have
refused to negotiate with the miners.
Neither Judge Gary nor the coal
operators, nor the financial interests
backing both, have been censored by
the government, but the steel work
ers and now the miners have been
cruelty condemned
AS to the Mine Workers: what the
demands: A five day week, six
hour day, and 60 per cent wage ad-
vance
The five day week would give them
more than the average now. Today
they are not permitted to work more
than three days a week on an aver
age. Of course, some are able to do
better, but this only means that others
must fare worse, and the miners de-
mand is based only on the commend
able desire to bring equity and JUS
tice to all their members.
The six hour day is bankers hours.
Nobody condemns the bankers. Any
bank clerk will admit these hours are
long enough. They will explain, per-
haps that they really work longer,
that their days work must be COM
pleted before they leave.
So it is with the coal miner The
bank clerk spends five hours a day at
+bo oo,1nfar. +bo minor hoe ockod 70
spend six hours a day "at the face" !"
Often he is working miles under
ground, requiring much time to enter
and leave. And he can enter and
leave only as his employers provide
facilities. This means that he is act
ually in the mine nine and a half or
ten hours a day, now. Six hours "at
the face" actually engaged at getting
out coal, will give him only an eight
hour day, in practice.
The sixty per cent wage advance
isn't as big as it looks. 1t could all
come out of the operators profits and
not raise the price to the public, the
men believe, but even if it legitimate
ly increased the cost of coal, then
should not the public pay it, as they
pay increased car fares when the
Public Service Commissions heed the
urging of the public utility corpora
tions? Or has it come to the point
where the conservation of cars and
copper, of poles and profits, is more
to be desired than the conservation of
human beings, of bodies and souls:
Coal is selling today at sales reah-
zation, theoretically, at $3.11. In
practice, the people are paying very
much more before it heats the homes,
and cooks the food, and turns the
wheels of industry. But, no matter
what you may be paying, the entire
cost of labor is but $1.73. To put it
ccncretely, the coal profit in the CEN
trail field, as shown by the Federal
Trade Commission, is nine times what
it was in 1916, and wages not even
one time more. 1t may be that the
profit was not great enough then, but
nobody can deny that wages were not
high enough then. And with the cost
of food stuffs soaring as they have
far above 100 per cent, the miners are
actually worse off than ever.
AS to the strike, that is entirely the
fault of the coal operators. The strike
order was the unanimous vote of a
convention held last September, was
attended by more than 1000 delegates,
coming straight from the mines-not
officials, but actual workers. They
voiced the demands and instructed the
officials to bring back an agreement
before November l, or call a strike
on that date of all the bituminous
field. Should the president of the Mine
Workers take it upon himself to vio-
late these distractions, and order the
strike suspended, then the enemies of
trades unionism, from one end of the
country to the other, would cry: "He