Norwich bulletin., 1919-10-25

Walk Out After . Full Da Washingto1, Oct. -24-The last gov ernment effort to avert the coal strike ,, set for Nov. failed utterly tonight, and half d. million miners will quit work on the very eve of winter. with the nation's bins running dangerously l low. Even an appeal from President Will son, sick i'll bed at the White House. I was not enough to bring peace ito conference that was torn and on the !, breaking point half dozen times dur l ing the day. Charges and counter charges flew thick and fast as the groups of operators and miners filed | out of the meeting which began some what hopefully four days ago.
 l While the operators announced that | they had accepted the presidents offer r to wipe the slate clean and negotiate a new wage agreement. the miners ! charged that the operators had bolted without the consent of. Secretary of i Labor Wilson. the storm center Of an extraordinary fight to save the coun- try untold distress and suffering. Surrounded by score of miners 1 John L. Lewis. president of the United Mine Workers of America, hur- l ried out of the hall and halted long enough to announce that the strike | order stood and that the miners would I walk out after a full days work on I the closing day of the present month
 The final breaking up of the conter- 1 ence, Lewis said. meant that official 1 notice of the failure would be sent l forthwith to the unions everywhere 1 to order the men out of the mines at l the appointed hour.
 The presidents appeal was made through Secretary Wilson after the ] latter had exhausted every possible effort and had pleaded until his throat aciaed. It pointed out what a strike meant and urged the two sides to get fa0etha- nn0Gfi9tp fheif. differences resorting to arbitration only in the event that negotiations failed. The important point in the proposal. how ever. was that the mines be kept open and the miners stay at work.
 The miners and operators had left the conference room and Secretary Wilson, with tears springing to his eyes, was gathering up his papers. when he announced that his efforts and the presidents efforts had fallen down and that the conference had ad-
 ieYrasd e9r goed He 5riefis ssplalned aa into teasafereesaofzaf,ads fai tlf.A-A zes1s- The operators agreed to accept the proposal of the president in its en- ceed with negotiations and if they failed to come to a conclusion to Sub- init the matters still i'll dispute to arbi- tration. the mines to continue in oper- ation pending. adjustment.
 The miners interpreted the preSi- dents letter as two proposals. They were willing to accept the first, that is. to- proceed to negotiate The operators said that having expressed a willing ness to Accept the presidents proposal in It's entirety, they held themselves ready to proceed to negotiate and ar bitrate whenever called upon by the l secretary Of labor or by the miners scale committed, and with that state ment withdrew.
 The miners remained and express ed their regret that the neGo tiations could not go on. but declined to pro- 1 ceed with the negotiations until it had | been determined whethe htre results l of the negotiations would be successful or unsuccessful.
 The conference then adjourned without date"
 except. to explain briefly how the miners position worked out.
 The presidents proposal he de- cfared, was, first. to negotiate; sec- ton if negotiations failed. and. third, to keep the mines in operation. "The first the miners accepted. and held over the other two for considera- ton later"
 What is your next step?' NIT. Will son was asked.
 Down to the automobile" he re- piled, as he saw the last of his hard ' work fall down.
 There was little hope of settling the strike when the miners and operators
 met late today after two offers by the secretary had been rejected. In open ing the meeting Mir. Wilson said he ! had just come from the White House with as message from the president urging peace that the people might have 8 bountiful stock of coal. Miners and operators, sitting in separate 1 groups. listened closely while the sec retary read the following letter from the president en,bodying his Sugges- tions for settling the strike:
 The presidents appeal follows: q have been watching with deep 1 and sincere interest your efforts to bring about just settlement of the differences between the operators and l the coal miners in the bituminous coal fields of the country. It is to be hoped 1 that the good judgment that has been exercised by both operators and miners in years gone by ill the adjustment of their differences will again prevail in the present crisis. All organized so- ciety is dependent upon the nlainte nance of the fuel supply for the con- tinuance of it's existence. The govern ment has appealed with successes to other classes Of workers to postpone similar questions until a rea.sonab bic adjustment could. be arrived at. With the parties Of this controversy rests the responsibility ct seeing that the fuel supply of the nation is main = tained. At this time when the world is in need of more supplies 1T would be a cruel neglect of our high duty to
 humanity 10 fail uIle1h-
 .1 have read with interest the sug- gestion made. by you that the wage
 scale commit tees of the operators and miners go into .conference without res-
 ervation for the purpose of negotiat-
 ing an agreement as though no de-
 rnands had been made or rejected,
 having due regard to the interests of
 their respective groups. I am in &C.,
 cord with that suggestion. No body
 of men knows better the details. tntri-
 cacies and technicaIities of mining
 than do the miners and operators. No
 body of men can work out the details
 of the wage scale on 8 more equitable
 basis. Their Judgment would un-
 doubtedly be based upon sum total
 of Knowledge Of the industry. What
 ever their differences may be- no mat
 ter how widely divergent their view
 points may be from each other. 1t is 8