Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-19
COAL STR!KE'SEND
CALLED VICTORY
FOR GOVERNMENT
No ''SettIement," Men Com
piled With Demands, Says
Mr.. Palmer.
ATTORNEY GENERAL GIVES
SENATORS INSIDE STORY

Copy of Telegram Sent President
Inserted in Committees
Record.
Termination of the soft coal strike
was not a settlement. but victory
for the government. Attorney Genera
Palmer today told the Senate SUD
committee Investigating the strike
The government has won its fight
Mr. rainier said. There was no set
tiement, in actually; the men and the
union officers have complied with our
demands and returned to work"
Attorney General Palmer told the
committee that Department of Justice
action in the coal strike commenced
with the preparation of an Injunction
proceeding brought against the min
ers union under the Lever law.
Sought to Prevent Strike.
We sought T., prevent the strike"
ne explained. by enjoining the union
ofhcers from carrying on the strike
they had already ordered. The pro-
ceeding was brought chiefly under the
so -called food control law, but we also
alleged that the strike was a breach
OF contract made between the cnlpn
and the operators"
GU have never changed your mind
that the strike was a breach of lave"
Senator Townsend. republican. of
Michigan, inquired
never have" Mr.. Palmer re
turned. The Injunction was issued
and is still in effect"
He added that now the miners are
obeying the order of the court
Did they always obey it?" Senator
Townsend asked
The letter of the court order was
obeyed from the first" said Mr.. Pal
mer But insofar as getting meu
actually back to work il was not so
successful as we thought"
You considered that the order was
violated. did you not?" Senator Town
send continued
Considered Order Was Violated.
did, Mr.. Palmer responded. And
we instituted further proceedings be
cause we had some evidence that the
oraer was not being obeyed in good
Ialth by some of the union officials
Nrand jury investigation. Mr.. Palmer
SAID. was still going on. inyoIyine
the whole question.
GU believe there has been a prac-
sicai compliance now with the order ,"
senator townsend pursued
There has been now" Mr.. Palm p
He explained that the iniunction wa =
not intended to order men back 70
work. but was intended to senarata
the strikers from their leaders and
strike. Vi 'iie
We went into the courts on ,ba
civil side" he added. land finally pnr
the defendants to obey the order
was there anything Sa id to the de
lenuant ohlcers of the union which
would make them understand that no
further prosecution would he com,
menced against them" Senator Tow
send inquired " -
Not one word Mr.. Palmer said.
~, Now some efforts were made after
.he injunction was issued" Senate
!, townsend began. Ito get a settlement
between the operators and the miner.
and get the men back to work. Tel.
us about that"
Tells of Negotiations.
Mr.. Palmer then described the one,,
ing of negotiations through Secretarv
of Labor Wilson between the tw,
parties and the intervention of En-
Administrator Garfield.
After a deadlock enSued in Wash.
ington, Mr.. Palmer said. Or. Gar
field was brought in and he told botr
operators and miners that the price
of coal could not be increased on.
cent to pay wage increases. basing his
finding on calculations which he made
that a wage increase of Ia per cent
could be given the men and paid by
the operators without increasing the
present price of coal.
This proposal the miners rejected
and all parties returned home"
After negotiations had all failed.
Mr.. Palmer continued II settled down
TO go through the fight to the end.
resolved to see the injunction order
obeyed as best l could, in the hope
that production of coal would be grad
ually resumed.
ION the afternoon of December
John J. Keegan. an employe of the
Department of Labor. came to me and
said he was convinced that if John
Lewis and William Green, presi dent
and secretary of the miners union,
could sit down and talk to me the
matter could be easily settled.
Sees Miners Leaders in Home.
Il told him | was perfectly willing:
that wouldn't invite them. but would
talk with them if they cared to come.
He talked with Lewis and Green over
the telephone and told me they would
come on from Indianapolis to see me
Citations charging criminal con-
tempt had then been issued against
Lewis. Green and other officials OF the
union. Mr.. Palmer said.
Saturday afternoon. December 6
Lewis and Green arrived and I took
them to my house. L told them the
position would he main
tanned and that no change in it would
be permitted.
fright there" Senator Townsend
was DR.. Garfelds plan
AT the conference with these gem
tlemen" Mr.. Palmer said. II informed
them that if the men went back to
work the Presidents assurance of
fair settlement would be carried out.
They pleaded for 81 per cent ad-
vance in wages but ] said that was
not my part of the job.
Told L. $. stood Fra.
Il told them the government could
not surrender to the United Mine
Workers, and was bound to win in the
end. The President. the Department
of Justice and the federal court had
agreed.
'.They left me at pm. without say
ing what they were going TO do, but
came back later with Mr. TumultN.
secretary to the President j then read
TO them the Presidents statement OF
December 6, and they announced that
thew were ready to acquiesce in 1t
Mr.. Palmer said that between the
two meetings he talked with fueI
GSrfield.
He was in accord with your at
tempt to get a settlement Senator
Townsend asked.
"Don't call it settlement. senator,
Mr.. Palmer replied. In accordahce
with my attempts to get these men I"
obey the courts injunction, my idea
was that a fresh face had been put IN
the matter, and no past wrangiing III
volved. .
II made no compromise, no conees-
sions with the men. except one, Whlcn
was that the President staeeinen y.
be withheld until they
could give it to their union associates
AT indianapolis first. yielded TO their
request on that point
There was no material dlnefenes