Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1919-10-31
MUST NOT STRIKE,
PRESIDENT WARNS
Message by Wilson Declares Act
Would Be Crime.
SAYS LAW WILL BE ENFORCED
Means Will Be Found to Protect In
terests OF Nation in Any Ener-
gency That May Arise Out
of Contention.

| Washington. Oct. 2S.-Presldent Will
son and the members of his cabinet
have pronounced the proposed strike
Of bituminous coal miners announced
| for November / a crime against the
government and the people Of the
country.
They brand tie strike both morally
and legally wrong and declare in a
statement to the public that the law
will be enforced and means be found
'sto protect the interests of the nation
In any emergency that may arise out
Of this unhappy business"
In plain, vigorous language the pres
| ident announces that the strike cannot
| be permitted under the laws of the
| government for protection of society.
| The government, the president says,
viii use every means within its power
! TO prevent the strike and keep the
mines operated.
The decision means that unless the
miners call off the strike they and
their officers win be prosecuted for a
high crime against the government.
Government Will Operate II Necessary.
1t means also that the government
will not hesitate to keep the mines OPP
Grating, even If it may be necessary,
to keep them running, for the govern
ment to operate them and protect them
with its strong military arm.
But the president hopes that 1t will
/ not be necessary to prosecute the
miners, and appeals to their officers
and to the miners as individuals at
/ once to recall all strike orders, an
nouncing that he stands ready to see
/ that their differences with the opera
tors are fairly adjusted by arbitration.
After the attitude of the government
had been informally discussed in Off
clal quarters outside the cabinet there
was a well defined opinion that the
| miners would not continue to defy the
government.
After reviewing events leading up to
the strike call, and plainly declaring
| the walkout was authorized without a
referendum vote of the workers, Inc
president says:
"The country Is confronted with this
prospect OF Z time when the wal itself
Is still in fact, when the world is still
| ia suspense as to negotiations for
peace, when our troops are still being
transported and when their means of
| transportation is In urgent need of
! fuel.
"From whatever angle the subject
may be viewed, it is apparent that
such a strike In such circumstances
would be the most far-reaching plan
ever presented in this country to limit
the facilities of production and distri-
button of a necessity of life and thus
indirectly to restrict the production
and distribution of all the neeessaries
of life
"a strike under these circumstances
is not only unjustifiable, it is uniaw-
full.
Requests Strike Order Be Recalled.
'In these circumstances solemnly
request both the national and the To-
cal officers and also the individual
members of the United Mine Work
| ers OF America to recall all orders
! looking to strike on November and
to take whatever steps may be neces-
sary to prevent any stoppage of work.
at is time for plain speaking. These
matters with which we now deal touch
not only the welfare of a class but
vitality concern the well being. the
comfort and the very life of all the
people l feel 1t my duty in the pub
! lie interest to declare that any at
tempt to carry out the purposes of this
| strike and thus to paralyZe the indus
try of the country with the conse-
quent suffering and distress of all our
people, must be considered a grave
moral and legal wrong against the gov
eminent and the people of the United
States.
81 can do nothing less than to say
| that the law will be enforced and
means will be found to protect the in
terests of the nation in any emergency
that may arise out of this unhappy
business.
II express no opinion on the merits
of the controversy. have already sug-
gested plan by which a settlement
may be reached. and hold myself in
readiness Mt the request of either or
both sides to appoint at once tribunal
TO investigate oil the facts with view
to aiding in the earliest possible or
derry settlement of the questions at
issue between the coal operators and
the coal miners, to the end that the
inst RIGHTS nor only Of those interests