New-York tribune., 1919-10-30

There can be no doubt that the gov
ernment has the power in the public
interest, under the law to deal with the
projected strike OF the Dituminous coal
miners, without infringing upon the
recognized right of men in any line of
industry to work when they please and
quit work when they please. The IL
legality Of this strike can and will be
established without IN any way impair
ing the general right to strike, and
the general right to strike is not in
issue in any sense whatever in the
present situation.
"This is true, because the crcum-
stances differentiate this case from the
case of any other strike that has ever
taken place in the country. 1t does not
follow that every strike is lawful,
merely because the right to strike is
recognized to exist. Etery case must
stand upon its own bottom and be gov
erned by its own facts. Therefore,
when the President said in his state
ment last Saturday, that such strike,
in such circumstances is not only un-
justihcab)e, but unlawful, reference
was had only to the conditions in the
impending situation.
THE proposed strike was ordered
in a manner, for purpose and with
gether, put it outside the pale of the
law. After the war began, the pro
duction Of fuel was regarded as one
Of the subjects Of such peculiar pub
lie Importance as to Justify special
statutory enact olent. The fuel ad
mnistration was created to supervise
the, subject, and matters of wages as
we'll as prices we're considered and
sanctioned by the fuel administration
After the cessation of hostiites the
fuel administration suspended certain
them and they ara subject TO rein
statepent at any time upon the Presi
dent'D order, and the statute under
which tho orders we're made is still
IN full force.
with this situation existing, the
convention of United Mine Workers at
Cleveland last September decided to
annul all wage contracts on November
| and took the unprecedented step of
deciding in advance of any opportunity
for consultation either with the gov
10 strike on November 1, unless salts
factory new arrangements should be
made.
Miners Action Analysed
Without any expression from the
workers themselves, the organization
promulgated demand for a 90 per
cent increase in wages, a six-hour day
and q five~day week, and authorized q
strike, to be effective November |. be-
fore the demands were even presented
to the operators. The demand for a
new wage agreement covered only y
part of the coal fields. but the strike
order was sent broadcast to workers in
other fields, where operators had been
given no opportunity even to consider
demands for increased wages or de-
creased hours.
"All this has been done while the
miners in every field, through their
right of collective bargaining, had en-
operators fixing wages and hours for
j SSsfinite period, which has not yet eX-
pired. The oprators. upon the insist
ence Of the President, indicated their
Willingness to negotiate and arbitrata
providing the strike il deferred, whlic
the miners rejected the Presidents re
quest Tor arbitration as a means OF
settlement and refused to defer the
strike.
"Some of the wage contracts were
made with the sanction of the Federal
government, operating through the
Fuel Administration, to run during the
continuation of the ~-r or until April
+ 1920. Many otherS> however, run
until a time still in the future with
ont regard for the continuation OF the
war.
While it is perfectly plain that the