Americus times-recorder., 1919-10-30

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30.-Follow-
ing is the text of Attorney General
Palmer's statement outlining the
governments plans for combating
the coal miners strike:
''There can be no doubt that the
government has the power in the pub
lie interest, under the law, to deal
with the projected strike of the bitum-
inous 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 illegality of this strike
can and will be established without
in any way innpaiEing the general
right to strike, and the general right
to strike is not the issue in any sense
whatever in the present situation.
This is true because the circumstances
differentiate this case from the case
of any other strike that has ever
taken place in the country.
at does not follow that every
strike is lawful merely because the
right to strike is recognized to exist.
Every case must stand upon its own
bottom and be governed by it's own
facts. Therefore when the President
said in his statement last Saturday
that such a strike in such circum-
stances is not only unjustifable but
unlawful reference was had only to
the conditions in the impending sit
uation.
"The proposed strike was ordered
in manner, for the purpose and with
necessary Offset which taken together
put it outside the pale of the law. At
ter the war began, the production of
fuel was regarded as one of the OBJ
jects of such peculiar public import
ance as to justify special statutory
enactment. The fuel administration
was created to supervise the subject
and matters of wages as well as prices
were considered and sanctioned by the
fuel administration.
AnnuIled Contracts.
"After the cessation of hostilities
the fuel administration suspended GER
tain of its orders, but did not termi-
nate them, and they are subject to re-
instatement at any time upon the
Presidents order and the statute un-
der which the orders were 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 No
vember l, and took the unprecedented
step of deciding in advance of any OPP
portunity for consultation either with
the government or with the coal oper-
ators, to strike on November 1, unless
satisfactory new arrangements should
be made.
"Without any expression from the
workers themselves, the organization
promulgated demand for sixty per
cent. increase in wages, a six-hour day
and a fve-day week, and authorized
strike to be effective November /,
before the demands were even pre-
sented to the operators. The demand
for a new wage agreement covered
only a part of the coal fields, but
the strike order was sent broadcast to
workers in other fields where opera
tors had been given no opportunity to
even consider demands for increased
wages or decreased hours. All this
has been done while the miners IN
every field, through their right of col
Ilective bargaining had entered into a
solemn contract with the operators
| fixing wages and hours for a definite
period which has not yet expired. The
operators, upon the insistence Of the
President, indicated their willingness
| to negotiate and arbitrate, provided
the strike is deferred, while the min
ers rejected the Presidents request
for arbitration as means of settle
ment and refused to defer the
strike.
Some Not Acected BY War.
"Some of the wage contracts were
made with the sanction Of the Fed
eral Government, operating through
the fuel administration, to run dur
ing the continuation of the war, or
until April 1, 1920. Many others,
Miners Law Ria.