New Britain herald., 1919-10-27
WILL THE MINERS STRIKE?


 cite miners and a demonstration ot the absolute unpopularity that such a move will gain in the United States, there appears to be a entlment among the union heads to dodge the issue and to claim that it will be n,- possible to call off the strike, mean while insinuating they would like to if they could. They are standing from under, so far as we can see, and passing the buck to the miners as a~ body. It is promised that a reply to ready soon, but il is not said that there will be any tendency to cou- promise or to keep the agreement which the unions have mA,.>. We have word from John l.. Lewis, act ing-presidcnt of the United Mine Workers, that all demands of the or" sanitation are open to negotiation. This is a peculiar stand for that ln- dividual unless he means, as he cvi- dently meant before, that ''negotia- tion" and "surrcnder' are alike in meaning, so far as the operators are concerned. We take it that pegotia- ton is what was desired and that it was impossible to negotiate because the operators could not possibly agree to the demands of their Workmen. We believe that the understanding was that no agreement could be reached when Lewis left Washington. What, then, is he driving at in his new remarks?
 Tn Washington it is felt that the miners will not dare to go out on strike against the orders of the gov ernment; that the United States has the power to hold them at their jobs under war measures. It is said that the union heads and individuals may be held for obstructng the work and for violating agreements and that fines as great as ten thousand dollars, with two years Imprisonment, may be imposed. Somehow We are not as confident as Washington appears to be. We believe that Lewis and others will appear to do all in their will come off just the same. The heads of the unions are even now in venting alibis in making their state ments and striving to create the inn presson that they will be unable to keep the men from going out This may be so, they may be only acting aS the heads But they are the lead ing spirits, they are the spokesmcn, they have accepted the responsibility; therefore, theirs will be the blame. If unionism is so intangible that it nothing but d spirit of discomfort, then it is time that unionism was wiped off the scheme of existence. Without responsibility we have uoth- ing--in any business, in government or in an organization of workingmen.
 The Administration has made pub lie what it's reception of the strike will be. It has stated. practically, that d walkout in the coal mines is tantamount to treason, and that it will ibe handled as treason. This should prove a powerful weapon to wield over the strikers, particularly when if is so thoroughly backed up by the public. Soldiers at the mines to | watch for the interests of those who 1 wish to remain at work will prove an 1 insurance for the ones who wish 70 l. keep their agreement which their own 1 unions made. They will keep 1t As 1 individuals, not as unions, however. 1 There is the possibility that the l strike, though called, will not amount 1 to much; that the greater number l will prefer to keep at work If that 1 is so, they will have repudiated their 1 own organization. But the organiza- 1 ton is rcpudiated already; it has 1 failed to keep it's original agreement. ] The result of this, whichever way it 1 shifts, is black eye to unionism 1 throughout the country. Ii is time 1 for the test. Let the strike go on, if l it can. The public will suffer, but it l has to, anyhow. It might as we'll
 now and decide the matter as to do so next week, next month or next ] year.
 l Senator Miles POndcXter has thrown