Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-13
Commission Files Report and
Leaves for Home PeSSimistiC
Over the Probability of
Reaching Agreement.
BOTH SIDES PREPARE
TO CAUSE TROUBLE
President May Offer Sugges-
tion, BUT Leaders Will Not
Attempt to Suggest Plan for
Settlement of Controversy.
Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee Leased Wire.

| Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee Leased Wire
Washington, March 12.-Repre-
sentatives of the bituminous coal
miners and operators, whose differ
ences, which reached climax in the
disastrous strike last fall, remain
unsettled, began leaving Washing
ton tonight, completely at loss to
understand what more President
Wilson can do to bring them to-
gcther
The bitumlnous coal commission
having submitted a report which
fails of agreement between repre-
sentatives of operators and miners,
both sides feel convinced that it is
UP to them to get together by them
selves, as they did before the gov
ernment intervened, and to make an
other effort to reach an agreement.
Win Quit April l. 1,
Leaders of the mine workers in
slst that the miners will quit volun-
tarily after April l, when the pres
ant working agreement expires, be-
cause of their failure to get shorter
hours and a greater increase than
the IA per cent granted by govern
ment decree or the Is per cent rec
commended by Chairman Robinson
and Rembrandt Peale of the coal
commission, John P. White of the
mine workers refusing to sign the
agreement. Mr.. White expects to
file a minority report, he said today,
but he has not completed it yet.
After the president reads both re-
ports he may have some sugges-
tons to make, but what they will be
no one here would attempt to sug-
gest.
Prepare for Trouble. ,
While the miners are preparing to
make more trouble without the for
mality of a strike order, the op-
orators are also preparing to kick
over the traces against the govern
ment regulation of coal prices under
the Lever act.
The operators of the central COM
petitive field have legal advice that
the law is unconstitutional when ap-
piled to a domestic situation in time
of peace. Today the smokeless coal
operators of West Virginia disclosed
that they had an opinion from for
mer President William H. Taft to
the same effect. Their representa-
tives, it was learned, had approach
ed Attorney General Palmer on the
subject. They asked him first if he
would consent to a removal of all
price restrictions April 1. The at
torney general would express no
view on that, stating that it was a
matter for the fuel administration
and he was not the fuel administra-
tor.
May File Suit.
The operators then asked Mr..
Palmer what his attitude might be
toward a possible suit attacking the
constitutionality of the Lever act.
Mr.. Palmer said that he would stand
pat on the law. Suit. of this char
acter may be filed within a few days.
Some of the central operators are
threatening, to defy price restrictions
after April l without the formality
of court action, it is declared
John l.. Lewis, president of the
United Mine Workers, returned
here today, but declined to comment
on the coal commissions report.
Henry M. Robinson, chairman
of the commission, has left for
California, his departure lending
strength to the prevailing opinion
that there is nothing more the COM
can do in the premises and
that its work has resulted in failure.