The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-11-08
|G0MPERS WORKS
TO END STRIKE
Issues Statement Saying He
Thinks the Strike Can
Be Settled
5SAYS A BLUNDER
HAS BEEN MADE
Injunction Proceedings BY Gov
ernment Causes Union Lead
ers Grave Concern

ers Grave Concern
Washington, Nov. 4.-Withdrawal Of
the Injunction obtained by the gov
ernrnent will open the way for settle
ment Of the coal strike, Samuel Comp
ers, president of the American FEEDER
alton Of Labor, declared in a state
ment tonight,
Charging that the injunction was a
grave wrong and gross .blunder, MI.
Gompers said if it We're vacated and
miners and operators invited to furtl1-
er conference by the department Of ia
Dor he had IAN abiding faith" that a
mutually honorable adjustment could
be negotiated and effected whereby
the coal strike can be brought to an
end
Mr.. Gempers' statement was issued
after his return here from New York
and in response to numerous requests
for an expression as to chances OF
bringing the strike to speedy end.
The statement follows:
Representatives OF newspapers
have asked me for a statement re-
garding the coal strike and the situa-
ton.
I'm the first instance it should be
known that the demands Of the min
ers which upon the surface seems so
radical and far reaching are by no
means SO. For several years the min
ers have not had more than a half
years work their working days aver
aging from $50 to $50 days per year,
intermittent, by days and by weeks
employment and then unemployment.
The miners simply ask for a regula-
ton of the working time so that coal
production and employment may be
regulated rather than intermittent.
If the miners were permitted by the
operators to work full time the supply
of coal thus mined would soon force
down the price of coal on the market
and this the operators are determined
not to permit. The miners case might
better be stated by their demanding at
least five days of six hours per week,
which is really more than they are
permitted to work at the present time.
An understanding Of these conditions
clearly show who are responsible for
the present situation and the cause.
When in 1914 the miners received
an increase Of 90 cents per to.?. the
operators raised the selling price S5
per ton. Surely the conditions and the
standards Of life Of the miner had de-
teriorated by reason Of there being no
practical advance in their wages and
their earning power, while the cost OF
living has scared higher and higher.
''The mandate Of the officers OF the
United Miner Workers Of America
was directed from the representatives
CT the men who at the recent conven-
ton decided that unless substantial
improvement in wages and regulation
of the working time were granted the
strike order should be issued to take
effect November /. President Lewis
and his associates therefore had no al
tentative particularly when the mine
operators left the conference, leaving
the representatives of the miners
alone.
The injunction secured by the at
torney general could not prevent the
strike, for it was issued after the
strike notice had already gone forth.
The injunction was not only a grave
wrong hut a gross blunder. 1t prac-
tically takes away the constructive
influence Of the officers Of the organ
ization and indeed bars them from
attempting to end the strike. Instead
Of conservative leadership prevailing
ii placed the whole movement in the
hands Of local men who may vie with
each other and be at variance with
each other. IF the injunction were
vacated and the department OF labor
invite the operators and the represen-
tatives CT the United Mine Workers to
a further conference. I have an abid
ing faith that mutually honorable
adjustment can be negotiated and ef-
fected whereby the coal strike can be
brought TO an erd"