Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-27
YOUR Winters COAL

Have you taken thought of your winters
coal?
It is still under ground awaiting the
activities of the men about the mines to
bring it to the surface, load it on the cars
and start it toward your bin.
The activities of the men at the mines,
here and elsewhere, have been suspended
by order of the United Mine Workers.
We profess to be nothing more than
spectators of what is going on in the coal
fields of Illinois and Kansas, but the pro-
ceedings there have such bearing upon our
condition in the Williamson field, that we
are constrained briefly to bring them to
notice.
The strikers there are under solemn
contract, guaranteed by the officers OF the
United Mine Workers, to perform certain
service at a stated rate Of wages for a
given term of years. In spite of this con-
tract, to which miners, operators, and the
Government of the United States were par
ties, the miners, under sanction and pro-
lection of the United Mine Workers, laid
down their tools and quit their work.
So fragrant was the violation of contract
in Illinois that the President of the United
States, when asked to provide way of
settlement, rebuked the United Mine
Workers organization for its repeated vio-
lations of contract. He said:
'1t is with feeling OF profound regret and
sorrow that 1 learned that many OF the mem
bers of your organization, particularly in the
State of Illinois, have engaged in strike in
violation of the award OF the bituminous coal
commission, and your agreement with the Gov
eminent that the findings of the commission
would be accepted by you as final and binding.
l am distressed not only because your action IN
refusing to mine coal upon the terms which you
had accepted may result in great suffering in
many households during the coming winter and
interfere with the continuation of industrial and
agricultural activity, which is the basis OF the
prosperity which you In common with the
balance Of people have been enjoying, but
Also and what is Of far more importance. be-
cause the violation Of the terms of your solemn
obligation impairs your good name, destroys the
confidence which is the basis of all mutual agree
ments. and threatens the very foundation of fair
industrial relations No government, no en-
ployer. person having any reputation to pro-
tect can.aord to enter into contractual relations
with any organization which systematically or
repeatedly violates its contracts
In Kansas, the contention has not been
for higher wages, as in Illinois, but for the
acceptance of fve-day week and six
hour day.
The contract in Kansas provides that:
pending final settlement of any dis
pute the mine shall continue in operation
and all miners, mine laborers, and parties
involved shall remain at work, except dis
charged employees"
The interest of the Williamson field
operators in these strikes, as well as the
705 other strikes called and maintained by
the miners in Kansas during forty-fve
months, is the evidence that the United
Mine Workers do not keep their contracts
This fact has been observed by us, just
the same as by the President of the United
States, who made it the subject of sting
ing rebuke.
The cessation of work in the Williamson
coal field is due to contest over the or
ganization of this field by the United Mine
Workers.
The Williamson field operators find
themselves influenced by many valid objec-
lions to the control of the miners of this
field by the United Mine Workers. We
might, safely and easily, rest our case with
the public upon the charge lodged by the
President of the United States and justified
by multitude of circumstances that they
do not value and enfn the contracts that
they make. No business concern will, vol
unfairly, or under pressure that it can
avoid, accept contracts not safeguarded by
reliability and good faith.
The WILLIAMSON COAL G
Williamson, v