Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-10-25
EFFORT To STAVE
!. OFF COAL STRIKE
FAILS; WILL TAKE
EFFECT ON NOV. |
Governments Attempt to Ce-
ment Warning Factions Is
FruitIeSS and Big Industry
Faces ParaIyzatiOn,
100000 MINERS WILL
BE IDLE IN FEW DAYS
Pacification Meeting Starts
Out Hopefully But Ends
With Both Sides Hurting
Charge and Counter Charge

tHN MORNING JOURNAL bfEClAl lEAbtp WiHEl
Washington, Oct. 24,--The last gov
ernment effort to avert the coal strike
set for November ! failed utterly to-
night, and 100000 miners will quit
work on the very eve of winter, with
the nations bins running dangerously
low.
Even an appeal from President
Wilson was not enough to bring peace
to conference that was torn and on
the breaking point half a dozen times
during the day. Charges and counter
groups of operators and miners filed
out of the meeting which began
somewhat hopefully four days ago.
While the operators announced
that they had accepted the presidents
offer to wipe the slate clean and ne
gotiate a new wage agreement, the
miners charged that the operators
had bolted without the consent of
Secretary of Labor Wilson, the storm
center of an extraordinary fight TO
save the country untold distress and
suffering,
Surrounded by a score of miners,
John l.. Lewis president of the United
Mine Workers of America, hurried
out of the hall and halted long
enough to announce that the strike
order stood and that the miners would
walk out after fun days work on
the closing day of the present month
The final breaking up Of the confer
ence Lewis said, meant that official
notice of the failure would be sent
forthwith to the unions everywhere
to order the men out of the mines at
the appointed hour.
Men Urged TO Stay At Work
Tho presidents appeal was made
through Secretary Wilson after the
latter had exhausted every possible
effort and had pleaded until his
throat aehed. 1t pointed out what
strike meant and urged the two
sides 10 get together, negotiate their
differences. resorting to arbitration
only in the event that negotiations
failed. The important point in the
proposal however, was that the mines
be kept open and the miners stay at
work
The miners and operators had left
the conference room and Secretary
Wilson, the tears springing to his
eyes, was gathering up his papers
v hen he announced that his efforts
ard the presidents efforts had fallen
down and that the conference had
adjourned for good. He explained tn >
status but refused to be drawn into
charges of bad faith.
THE operators agreed to accept
the proposal of the president in its
Mr.. Wilson said, "and TO
proceed with negotiations and If they
failed to come to a conclusion to sub
NIT the matters still in dispute to ar
bitration, the mines to continue in
operation pending adjustment.
THE miners interpreted the presi-
dents letter as two proposals. They
were willing to accept the first that
is, to proceed to negotiate The OPP
orators said that having expressed a
to accept the presidents
in it's entirety, they held
ready to proceed to nego-
tiate and arbitrate whenever called
upon by the secretary of labor or by
the miners scale committee, and with
that statement withdrew.
"The miners remained and eX-
pressed their regret that the negotia-
tions could not go on, but declined to !
proceed with the negotiations until 1t !
had been determined whether the re-
suits of the negotiations would be sue
cessful or unsuccessful.
The Presidents Proposal
"The conference then adjourned
date"
That was all tho secretary would
say, except to explain briefly how the
miners position worked out.
"The presidents proposal" he de-
clared, "was, first, to negotiate sec
md to submit the matter to arbitra-
IA