Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-10-22
COVE RNMENT May .
INTERVENE AND .
AVERT WALKQUT
,>$$5!!E COAL MINERS
0peNNorS and WOrkmen Fail
to Come to an Agreement
and Federal Action IS tx
peCted to Prevent a Tieup.
DISTRESS WILL FOLLOW
CLOSING OF ALL MINES
There Is Less Than a Months
Stock of Fuel on Handi An
other Conference Is to Be
Held at Capital Today,

Washington, oct. 21-Failure Of op-
orators and miners to settle their diff
ferences after four-hour conferences
today with Secretary of Labor Wilson
may force the government to step in
and prevent the strike OF 100000 bi-
luminous coal miners called for Mo-
vember |
Although another effort viii be
made tomorrow TO bring peace TO the
industry, the strike tonight loomed
big and close at hand and leaders of
both sides, speaking frankly and
gravely, said there was little hope.
While the full scale committee rep
resentng miners and operators were
fighting their battles today behind
closed doors, q strike storm ragged in
the senate, and federal agencies looked
up the law, firmly convinced it would
have to be invoked to save the coun-
try from untold distress and suffering
with mines shut down and less than
a months stock on hand to keep fires
burning,
Filing out of the meeting place the
miners and operators nearly one hun
dred of them, went their separate
ways to discuss the crisis, the former
led by James |. Lewis, president or
the llnltGu Mll1e w pihtlS VI AllGIlNtit
and the latter by Thomas r, Brewster,
head OF the coal operators associa-
ton Leaders and members of both
groups were eXtrem ely retiCent Both
Brewster and Lewis refused to discuss
the situation beyond saying there had
been no change in the attitude or
either group.
Informed of the attack on the
unions by Senator Frelinghuysen OF
New Jersey and reports from many
quarters that the government might
intervene, strike leaders said there
was a bare chance of some eneour-
aging development tomorrow, but that
the strike order wolle stand.
Secretary Wilson left the meeting
without giving the least intimatlon as
to what was in his mind as TO hope OF
settlement.
The two committees, in separate
groups, filed into the assembly hall
of the Red Cross building and sat
down shortly before noon, while Sec
retary Wilson went to the front and
without ceremony announced that
they had been asked to meet and ad-
Just their grievances Pleading for
Immediate settlement of the strike, the
secretary showed how it would affect
trial plants and stop freight and pas
seuger traffic because of the limited
coal stocks held by the railroads.
Pointing out that the matter was
one of vital concern to the people.
Secretary Wilson explained that as
executive officer of the government
intrusted with the function of media
ton in such disputes, he felt that ev-
cry possible effort should be made to
induce the miners and operators TO see
the Importance of early adjustment.
The secretary said he gave full weight
to the statement of the operators re-
garding contracts and to the impor-
tance of resembling the strike order
and to withdrawal of demands for
thirty-hour week just as he gave
weight to the statement of the miners
that there must be "a disposition to
really negotiate" before 1t would be
worth while for them to go into con-
ference.
President Lewis then spoke for the
miners. The old wage agreement, he
declared, had expired and the opera
tors, he charged, had refused to con-
slider a new one.
The side of the operators was pre-
sented by p, II. Penna. OF Terre Haute,
Ind, who charged that the miners had
violated their agreement, that the OPP
orators had adhered to the principles
and practices of collective bargaining
and that the unions We're at fault. Then
without consulting the leaders, Secre-
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