Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-04-20
HOWAT REJECTS
 WITH CONTEMPT , GARF|ELD'S PLEA
Miners, He Says, Are Pre- pared To Fight Oppres-
 sion To Last Ditch.

Pittsburg, Kan, April l9.-H. A. Garfield, federal fuel administrator today in message to Alexander llowat, president of the district IA, United Mine Workers, threatened to revoke the provision of the agree inent between the coal miners and the coal operators of November 1917, which gave the miners an increase of $1.4O day, unless Howat order- ed the striking miners of the Central Coal and Coke company to return to work while he, Howat, met with the labor bureau and submitted the griev- ance of the miners.
 Howat in answer wired to Garfield that he rejected "with contempt the co"ardly proposition submitted" The miners, Howat wired, are prepared to fight to the last ditch against the automatic penalty clause which he denounces as infamous" The mes . sage of Garfield to Howat follows: '''The action taken by you and Wilkinson in calling strike and the reasons you give are altogether un- satisfactory. As wired you yester- day | do not pass upon the merits of the controversy by calling your at tention to the fact that you have not proceeded according to the Washing ton agreement which still holds and which applies in your case.
 Garfield Issues Threat. Furthermore, if you persist in going contrary to the Washington agreement and the mine workers of your district support your proposal to disregard that agreement and contin- ue on strike shall issue a state rent to all miners and operators in .,our district that you, having re- pudiated the Washington agreement the operators in districts IA and 21 are no longer bound to pay the wage advance of $1.4O secured by that agreement in order that the contro- versy may be adjusted without resort to stringent measures.
 q earnestly request that you wire me your acceptance to meet with our bureau of labor at your earliest op- portunity either in Washington or wherever is agreeable to all parties and that mines resume operation pending final adjustment of your grievances.
 Signed, "H. A. Garfield" To the Garfield message Howat re- piled:
 'I reject with contempt the cow ardly proposition submitted by you.
 sS Is Miners Reward, 7 "This, suppose, is the miners re- | thns %o ernment during the war in which our country was engaged, in which our members made every sacrifice and responded to every call in producing coal. buying Liberty bonds, donating to the Red Cross and also giving up their lives on the battle fields of Europe fighting for our country.
 "Now we are going to fight for ourselves to establish for the miners the principles of democracy and jus tice which they fought to obtain for others. The mine workers have suf- fered under the iron heel of oppres- sion for the past eighteen months un- der the infamous automatic penalty clause. We don't propose, however, to submit to the word of dictator any longer.
 ', Il therefore desire to say that as far as am concerned the strike :, in this district will continue until the operators make satisfactory settle men to the miners in his disrict, also 1 ir district 21.
 "We are prepared for any emer- gency and intend to fight to the last ditch.
 (Signed) "Alexander Howat. President District IA, United
 Mine Workers"