Evening star., 1919-11-09
The Law Commands Peace.

In issuing an injunction yesterday
at Indianapolis. in replacement of the
restraining order granted last week
against the soft coal mine union lead
ers, Judge Anderson went further
than has been gone before in court
proceedings in restraint of concerted
action in industrial contests. He not
only enjoined the union officials from
promoting the strike previously called
which took effect November l, and
from using and disbursing the strike
benefit funds of the organization, but
he commanded them to reseind the
strike order. He gave them until
O'Clock next Tuesday to accomplish
this result. If they fail to do SO, if
they refuse to comply with the order
of the court to cancel the strike or
der, or if they are unable to set in
motion the machinery for effecting
the resumption of coal mining, they
will be subject to arrest for contempt
There is plain indication that the
union leaders will comply with the
order. They may later resist the
mandate of the court and seek by
habeas corpus proceedings to test its
validity. But such a process is slow
and is by no means assured of sue
cess. Indeed, there is every prospect
that a test of this decision, if a case
is carried to the highest court, will
result as did the test of the Debs case
in 1s94-5, when the president of the
American Railway Union resisted an
injunction, was arrested and held
finally by the Supreme Court to have
been in contempt of a rightfully is
sued restraining order.
This ruling at Indianapolis ought to
end the strike. There is no prospect
Of successful resistance. The funds
Of the union cannot be disbursed, the
officials cannot give orders, save to
call off the strike, and what was be-
gun in defiance of the Presidents ap-
peal for continued coal mining must
inevitably collapse, with a speedy re-
sumption of production throughout
the entire field.
This action does not prejudice the
cause Of the miners for a betterment
OF their condition in the matter of
wages and hours. They have now the
same opportunity to negotiate their
demands with the operators as they
had just before the conference held
here closed in failure. The govern
ment, sternly acting in resistance of
. strike that it held to be illegal and
in violation Of the highest require
ments of public warfare, and securing
from the court mandate that per-
emptorily lays the ban of outlawry
upon the strike proceedings, stands
ready to promote negotiations.
II the miners contentious that thew
are underpaid and overworked or that
they are not permitted to work long
enough to earn a living wage are
sound they can be proved before an
arbitral tribunal. There is no barrier
now to full, free adjustment of the
matter in issue. The effort to compel
a settlement through a strike that
threatened to deprive the country of
its necessary fuel will not prejudice
the case SO far as it is meritorious.
The people of the country are graft.
fed that there was in force a law uu.
der which this measure could be applied
and that there was a disposition on
the part Of the federal administra.
fion to apply that law speedily and
unfiinchingly. A new method for the
maintenance of industrial peace has
been developed. 1t is the hope of the
country that out of this case NAV
come provision of permanent means
to avert industrial conflict, to prevent
the stopping of essential supplies, q
means that will strengthen the arm of
the government for all such crises in
the future, and will, at the same time
insure full justice to the workinemeu
who seek betterments that can be
granted without injustice and suffer
ing to the mass Of the people.