The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-10-20
BY AMEoEE ]. CASEY.


Editor, American Coal journal.
There win be strike Of bituminous
soaf miners ON November /, according
t6}the announcement of the miners
fhenselyes, unless in the meantime,
ia conservative element OF the
IInited Mine Workers America
forces the organization to change its
mind. or unless the government in
feryenes. II the strike occurs 1t VIII
mean untold suffering for the entire
country-for the whole world, ior
that matter-and the indefinite delay
30 the national program of industrial
: rehabilitation, already very much be
hind schedule because Of the attitude
az labor generally. And the fault
viii lie entirely with the miners not
withstanding their attempt to place
the blame on the mine operators.
49, and we trust that the
eAmerican public will understand the
4 true situation" says the concluding
phrase Of the first paragraph OF
3 statement issued by the workers in an
attempt to justify their position fol-
lowing the adjournment of the wage
conference in Philadelphia. There
can be no doubt that the public will
aud does understand the situation
thoroughly.
Labor has made many demands
lately. Some Of them were warranted
by conditions; others were not. But
for sheer, radical outrageousness, the
demands of the coal mine workers 81
4 little beyond anything of the kind
yet made public. >,
The present scale Of mine wages Is
The wartime rate fixed by the govern
f1ent and under it the workers earn
ihgs can be equal to those of the
highest paid labor in most other lines
At5the time the award was made, the
Fitted Mine Workers agreed-made
81 contract, in fact-that the scale
should remain in effect until peace
vas declared, or until April l, 1920
"a case peace had not been declared
Nv that time. Last month the mine
workers had a convention in Cleve-
land when they swept aside this con-
tract, declared arbitrarily that peace
existed notwithstanding the fact that
the peace treaty has not yet be"n rat
red, abrogated the agreement and
demanded a so per cent increase in
WAGES, the reduction of the hours OF
labor from forty-eight to thirty a
week. time-and half for overtime
and double time for holiday work, to-
Esther with other working conditions
in:,,which the public has no interest
but which nevertheless add to the
cost Of producing coal. Then they ap
pointed a committee to confer with the
mine operators. The committee was
given no discretion; there were the
demands, backed by threat to strike
on November l il they were not ac-
cepted as they stood. There were con-
terences at Buffalo and at Philadel-
phia, where the mine operators ex-
hausted every effort to reach rea
sonable working basis. Finally, see
ing that further conferences were
useless, the operators stood on the
government award, holding, as has
been held by various agencies of the
government itself, that peace has moi
yet arrived, but offering to start new
series Of conferences Immediately
With view of working out a new
contract tc go into effect April 1 oil
next year, in case peace was not
sooner proclaimed. The miners re-
presertatives would not consent tc
his; they could not, in fact, in view
pf the arbitrary character OF the un'
lonls demands, so the conference ad-
telrned.
Personally, I do not believe there
MI be a strike, although every indt
eation points that way. do not be-
heye, for one thing, that the public
Fill permit strike in the coal mines
lor any such outrageous set OF de-
iands as those put forward by The
miners. Coal is high enough now, In
81 conscience, but even at the pres
mt prices, few, If any, OF the mines
Ire making any money and some are
r1nning behind. If those that are
showing any net earnings at all were
making four times as much, they
sofld not meet the demands of the
workers and continue in business
without passing the increased cost Of
production on to the public. The op
srators are not at all inclined to dc
his. They realize that coal at pres
mt prices Is very burdensome nee
sssity and, with the supply already
.nrtailed by millions of tons and will
lie whole world calling for our Goa
Eiey are exerting every effort to keel
Liees from running away. l am vel
Fware that this statement docs mol
Tree with the popular conception Of
Mat a few newspapers are fond Of
lfInding to as "coal barons," but il
true nevertheless, and it has beer
demonstrated at the investigation BY
senator Frelinghuysen's committee
which is now going on in Washington
pde mine operators are business men