The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-11-01
It is Beyond Pale Of Law De-
clares Attorney General
Palmer
PROOF OF THE FACT
TO BE FURNISHED
Plan to Block Industry By
Shutting Down the Mines Not
Lawful


Lawful
Washington, Oct. 29.-The govern
meflt will establish the 'illega.itv Of
the strike Of coal miners without in
any way inpairing the general right
TO fstrjke" as the general right 70
strike is not an issue in any sense
whatever in the present situation" it
was declared in a statement issued
tcnight after a conference in the Of
fee Of Attorney General Palmer at
which he discussed the situation with
secretary Wilson, Director General
II ines, Secretary Turnulty and Assist
ant Attorneys General Ames and Gar
van.
81 The. statement, which it was said
fully represents the attitude Of the
government. declared that the inn
pending coal strike was ordered in
manner, for purpose and with
necessary effect, which taken together,
put it outside the pale of the law"
The government will act in the
strike under the provisions of the
Lever food control act, enacted as
war measure but still in force.
The position Of the government in
the Impending coal strike was an
nounced tonight by Attorney General
Palmer as follows:
There can be no doubt that the
lie, interest, under the law, to deal
with the projected strike of the btu
Ininous coal miners, without infring-
tngupon the recognized right of men
in amy line of industry to work where
they please and quit work when they
please The illegally of this strike
can and will be. established without
In any way ir1pairing the general
right to strike, and the general right
to strike is not an issue in any sense
gfhafeSer in the present situation. This
is trne because the circumstances off, f,
.4srsnfsase this case from the case OF
s1iy other strike that has ever taken
yiace III this country.
cit does not follow that every strike
is lawful merely because the right TO
strike is recognized to exist. Every
sease must stand upon its own bottom
and be governed by its own facts.
Therefore when the president said in
Ills statement last Saturday that such
4 strike in such circumstances is
mot only unjustifable but unlawful
reference was had only. to the. condi-
stons in the impending situation.
"The proposed strike was ordered
ia a manner, for a purpose and with
q necessary effect, which taken to-
gether, put it outside the pale Of the
law After the war began, the pro-
Suction of fuel was regarded as one of
the subjects of such peculiar public
importance as to justify special
statutory enactment. The fuel ad-
the subject and matters of wages as
well as prices were considered and
sanctioned by the fuel administration.
After the cessation of hostilites the
fuel adm inistration suspended certain
of it's orders but did not terminate
them, and they are subject to rein
statement at any time upon the
president's order and the statute un-
dar 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 and took the unprecedented
step of deciding in advance Of any op-
portunity for consultation either with
the government or with the coal op-
orators to strike on November l, un-
less satisfactory new arrangements
should be made.
without any expression from the
workers themselves their organiza-
ton promulgated a demand for go
hour day and five day week, and
authorized strike to be effective No
yember 1, before the demands were
even presented to the operators The
demand for new wage agreement
covered only a part of the coal fields
where operators 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 collective bargaining
with the operators, fixing wages and
hours for a definite period which has
not yet expired. The operators upon
the insistence of the president indi-
Gated their willingness to negotiate and
arbitrate provided the strike is de-
ferred while the miners rejected the
presidents request for arbitration as
a means of settlement and refused
to defer the strike.
Some Of the wage contracts were
made with the sanction Of The federal
government. operating through the
fuel administration. to run during the
continuation Of the war Or until April
/. 1920. May others, however. run
until time still in the future with
out regard for the continuation of the
war
while it is perfectly plain that
the war is still on and any contract
running until its conclusion is still in