Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-25
COAL OPERATORS
MAY FEEL FORCE
Of THE LEVER LAW
Government Ready to Insist
That They Keep Pledge.
Would Prosecute.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

IT the coal operators persist IN an
attitude of obstruction and refuse
to accept the governments plan for
a commission to arbitrate the con-
troversy with the miners. and if as
a result of that refusal the miners
quit work in any large numbers. the
full power of the federal govern
ment will be used to prosecute the
coal operators for conspiracy TO cur
tail production.
The Lever law. which has beer
used to enjoin the miners from strik
ing, would be used against the opera
tors. But it is confidently hoped by
the government that no such eN-
treme course Will be necessary. The
interesting thing. however. is that
at the Department of Justice Il clear
case against the operators is built
up which alleges that if the opera
tors maintain their attitude OF re-
fusal to accept commission of ar
bitration they would be guilty OF
having trapped the miners into go
ing back to work and then declining
to live up to the spirit of their
pledges and written statements
Declare Commission Too Small.
The operators declare the commits
sion is too small and they have in
quired whether the government
would agree to an enlargement OF
the commission. The government
will not agree to any such enlarge
ment in advance. because to do so
would require another session with
the miners and all the difficulties of
the indianapolis meeting with the
miners would have to be faced again.
There is no objection on the part of
the government to an increase in per-
sonnet II the three men designated on
the commission should agree to such
an enlargement, but at present the
operators must agree to the plan as
submitted to the miners. 1t is question
able whether the miners representative
on the commission would agree to an
increase in personnel because of their
conviction that such a move would only
mean lnterminable delay On the other
hand, 1t is quite possible that the three
men could select any number of adj
Slsers they choose and that the Presi-
oent could be asked to add advisory per
sonnet. but the Judgment or voting
power VIII remain in the hands of REM
brandt Peale. coal operator and said to
be one of the broadcast gagged men in
the industry; John p. White. a former
president of the United Mine Workers.
and II. NJ. Robinson. former member of
the shipping board and one of the mem
oers OF the industrial commission. re-
Gently appointed by the President to
take the place of the three groups in
the capital and labor conference
SNnnOt TO BACK ON Pledge.
The government through it's spokes-
men contends that the operators have
previously accepted the plan of a COM
mission to arbitrate the dispute and that
they cannot go back on that pledge now
II develops that before the Attorney
General went to indianapolis he endeav-
oreu 10 get In touch with A. W. Ogle,
not in the city. Rush Butler. general
counsel for the operators. said he would
speak for the operators. and went TO
MI. Palmers home, where the Attorney
General explained in detail the govern
ments plan. The Attorney General
insists that the operators said
nothing at the time publicly or private
" 10 indicate their disapproval, and that
II was'only after period of nearly ten
Gays mad elapsed, during which time the
miners II Were being slowly brought back
TO work, that an outcry came from the
operators AVN '"e
Few things have illustrated moro
clearly to official Washington the
manner in which the public can he i'm
posed upon than the TASTES pursned
the operators. 1t is the firm belief Of
the government. for instance, that
Messrs. Lewis and Green. president
ana secretary, respectively. of the
miners union, were forced by internal
politics in their union to call a strike
and that Frank harrington. president
of the Illinois miners. led the attack
with a radical program and forced the
strike.
The fact that Frank Peabody. one of
the biggest of the Illinois operators.
displayed sympathetic attitude to-
ward the program of Harrington has
always been one of the mysterious
things about the origin of the coal
strike. which has evoked much curl
oslty mere Some people have gone so
Tar as to assert that they believed the
operators were influencing the radical
miners in Illinois.
An Interesting Sequel.
An interesting sequel, however. is
the part played by Mr. Peabody in
Indianapolis. where he assisted the
government in securing an acceptance
of its plan by the miners He is
known to have persuaded his friend
Mr.. harrington. to go along with
President Lewis and Secretary Green
and bring about an agreement among
the miners to accept the Palmer pro-
posal. Now. however, that the govern
ment has the miners acceptance, it
plans to insist even to the extent of
prosecution that the operators keen
their pledge and submit the matters
in dispute to an arbitral board of
three. And the view which l find in
executive quarters is not one of con-
demna ton of all the operators, but
one of Impotence with few who
have professed to speak for the oper-
ators, and whose disagreements with
each other have threatened to upset
tho rouarppenf'S Ia effort fn