The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-12-03
PROTECTING THE WHOLE PEOPLE,

btuminous coal producing states to consult upon plans
for fastening the resumption of mining to provide for
the poeraton Of the should the miners continue to
should be helpful in the task of putting end to the
present uncomfortable conditions Assuming that the WASH
ngton administration has drastic of sort
mapped out but which is being held in suspense for
few days to see Mr. Garfield expresses it, whether o
not the miners going to go back to work. 1t seems
desirable that the state governments should also have
definite plans to meet the crisis that will this
if the miners refuse to go back.
Should some of the miners desire To resume work
and be restrained from doing by fear of violence
the part of the extreme radical element in their ranks
the administration has promised the power of the entire
to protect hem and it to be assumed that federal
soldiers will be supplemented by state troops by order
been done in Kansas
1t would scarcely require conference of governors
to determine state troops in association with fed
eral troops without Them for the protection of men
desiring to work at occupation vital to the very lives
of the people who refused or neglected to
do this who at all lacking in energy in performing
ths plain and fundamental duty of his office would be
subject to the impeachment of public oI.nlon if not by
constitutional proceedings.
The coal situation has reached point where the
essites Of the people transcend any individual right of
of property which is sought to be exercised to
the harm of all the people Government exists for the
welfare of the people governed 1t derives its just pow
fron nd of tba
selves and that makes it imperative that the welfare of
hose who create it shall be its first consideration That
welfare is sometimes served by protecting the individual
ganst the unjust acts of the whole and at other times
by protecting the whole against the unjust acts of the
individual This latter duty by its very nature supreme
1t confronts not only the state governments but the
Federal government.
This great question of the hour not how much mill
AIRY protection men who want to work the mines shall
receive. Unquestonaby they should receive the protec
Lion of the full organized military power of the nation
and the states and if that is not enough the organized
power must be increased until it is sufficient The real
question is what action shall be taken it. in spite of this
protection, not enough go to work in the mines to
produce the amount of coal absolutely necessary to sus
tain the lives of the people and keep industries in opera
ton What the administration at Washington has agreed
upon, if there is agreement in such an emergency
has not been intmated The governor Of Kansas has
taken the radical action in assuming control and opera
ton Of the mines The other governors in the conference
way fgree to dc likewise they may agree to avail, fed
era emergency action and back it up as best they NAV
Our industries stores our schools our churches
our whole industrial economic and social life are threat
ened with paralysis 1t is not alone the deprivation Of fuel
with which to warm the home which threatens the lives
OF the people, but the loss of employment the cutting off
of the means of living. This condition is with US partv
already and will progress towards complet paralysis with
rapidly acceeratng pace every day the mines are idle
The estimate from Washington that at the end of last
week production had reached so per cent of normal is
encouraging but that will not keep our Industries going
Even normal production will not for time restore mo-.
NAL industrial and economic conditions But the fact
that production has reached the halfway resumption
gives hope that there will be such crisis as we COM
mand extraordinary of the inherent powers of the
sovernment.St Louis Globe Democrat