Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-05
Strike Is Violation
of Law, Reply
!, to Labor.
REFUSAL MEANS
"ALONG FIGHT"
Men Urged to Return
in Open Letter From
Representative.

Request for federal troops to
guard the coal mines was made to-
day BY Kentucky operators, who
conferred with Fuel Administrat0r
Garfield. Threats made against
the continuance of operations me-
cessitated protection to insure
continund production Of e>sL 4
was stated.
DR.. Garfield told the Kentucky
operators that the question Of DO
licfng the coal fields was In the
hands OF Attorney General Palmer
and other members OF the cabinet
and that he could not advise them
ON the subject.
The government cannot accept the
proposal Of organized labor to end
the coal strike by vacating the in
junction against the officials Of the
United Mine Workers of America.
Assistant Attorney General Ames. In
the absence of Attorney General
Palmer. announced today that the
government could not abandon its po-
sition because the strike was in viola
ton of law.
Judge Ames' Statement.
Judge Ames issued the following
statement:
The strike L. a violation Of law
AS long as 1t continues we are going
to proceed in the courts. The dispute
between the mine owners and workers
is an entirely different question that
they can settle In their own way. The
government cannot tolerate continued
violation Of the law such as this
strike constitutes."
Means a Long Fight.
Refusal of the government to vacats
the injunction means long fight in
the coal fields. while its withdrawal
would have opened the way for set
Element Of the strike within forty
eight hours. according to Edgas Wal
lace. legislative representative of the
United Mine Woe3&ors Of America
IF the fn5unctfon were Withdrawn
the scals committees representing
miners and operators could get to-
gether in twenty-four hours and set
tie their differences at one sitting,
Wallace said. THE strike. however.
would not be called on until new
wake agreement W66 IGdCnCQ.
The miners committee. with power
to accept the new agreement, could
call or the strike without referring
the question to q delegate convention.
Wallace said.
President Lewis statement that the
without reservations" he added. sim
ply means that we would start with
new slate, without regard to previous
demands. which the operators refused
to grant"
These demands were a nve-day week.
so per cent. Wallace explained, how
ever. that they were not arbitrary. but
were put forward as a basis for nego-
tiation.
Labor Leaders Disturbed.
Labor leaders here who had taken
a hopeful view Of the strike situation
gestion for a settlement. were plainly
disturbed by news that the Department
of Justice would let the injunction
stand. All agreed that 1t would keep
the strike going for some time. This
also was the view Of operators.
ers. counting hopefully on the early
end OF court proceedings. were flgur-
ing on actual steps to adjust differ
ences at scale committee meetings. As
indicating the desire for peace. the
miners agents thought 1t would be
unnecessary for the joint conference
to be held under the auspices of the
Department of Labor, their idea being
that the two sides could meet exactly
as they did at Buffalo and Philadel-
phia before rejection of demands led
to issuance OF the strike order.
In view of the intention of the At
tc.ney General not to ask for vacation
Of the injunction, labor leaders said
there was no likelihood of any impor-
tant move before the injunction case
came up for hearing at Indianapolis
Saturday.
Confidential reports today to the De-
partment OF Justice said that 90 per
cent more men worked In the coal
mines in Colorado yesterday than the
day before. A number OF mines were
said TO be running full force.