Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-01-06
RO0SE Welt s PLAN
To END STRIKES
MOST DRASTIC
Correspondence Shows He.
Would Have Put Army in
Control and Court Orders.
Would Have Been Ignored

1
| New York, Jan. 5.-Hitherto I'M
published details of the drastic plan
| President Roosevelt had decided TO
| adopt to settle the anthracite strike
! Of 1902, said to have been known only
to two members of his cabinet and a
| few persons who were to take part in
| its eXecuti2n, appear in the first in
! stallment of the colonel's own letters
edited by Joseph TH"klin Bishop in
| the January issue of Sccibners Mag
azine. The article also give fome in
innate sidelights on Roosevelt atti-
tude toward union labor.
After twenty persons had been
billed and abont forty injured during
the rioting in the coal fields and the
approach of winter brought with it
the prospect of a nation-wid fuel
famine, the mayors of large cities and
Governors of several states appealed
to the president, Mr.. Bishop says. to
interfere in the interest of the public
welfare and safety. According to his
biOgrapher, Mr.. Roosevelt had decid-
ed, in case the operators persisted in
their refusal to accept a commission,
ito assume powers which the consti-
tuition did not specifically give him
and to use the United States army to
suppress all violence and disorder.
Would Maintain Order.
Writing to Robert Bacon on October
g. 1902, shortly after a conference in
Washington of the mine operators and
the strike leader, the late John
Mitchell in a futile effort to settle
the trouble by the appointment of
commission of investigation or arbi-
tration, he said
"The situation is bad. especially
because it is possible it may grow in
finitely worse, If when the severe
weather comes on there is coal fam
inc, ] dread to think of the suffering
in parts of our great cities especially
and | fear there will be fuel riots of
as bad type as any bread riots We
have ever seen. OF course once the
rioting has begun, once there is
resort to mob violence. the only thing
to do Is to maintain order. 1t is a
dreadful thing to be brought face to
face with a necessity of taking meas
ures, however unavoidable, which will
mean the death of men who have
been maddened by want and suffer-
ing"
Letter To Lodge.
In letter to Senator Lodge he
wrote that he was feeling his way
to solve the difficulty and was de-
termined not to be drawn into any
violent step which would bring re-
action and disaster afterward," AT
another time, he said: Most en-
phatically | shall not compromise
with 1awlessness. I have been told
on excellent authority that the disor-
der has been very great and Of an
evil kind. On equally good authority,
am told the exact contrary. | shall
speedily find out for myself. | stand
against socialism; against anarchic
disorder r....
Colonel Roosevelt's drastic" plan
of action which Mr.. Bishop says he
makes public with the late presidents
permission and authority, included his
appointment of an investigating or
arbitrary commission without regard
to whether or not the operators asked
for it or agreed to abide by its decis-
ions. He asked eX-President Cleve-
land in case he were to appoint such
a commission, if he would accept a
place on il, and, according to Mi
bishop, Mr.. Cleveland replied favor
ably.
Would Have Taken Control.
"This commission was only part of
the presidents PLAN" says Mr.. Bishop.
"The investigation which it was to
conduct would take time. In order
that mining operations might be re-
sumed as speedily as possible, the
president consulted with Senator
Quay, who was ali-powerful in Penn
sylvania politics, and was assured by
him that whenever the president de-
sired him to do so he would have the
governor of the state notify the preSi-
dent that he could not Keep order in
the coal region and needed federal
Interference. aH N.
"The president then informed
Major General John NJ. ScOfield that
in case of federal interference he
wished to send him to the coal regions
with the regular army troops with in
structions to act as receiver Of the
mines, take full charge, put down nj,
violence, and disregard any order
from the operators He asked ~"
general, if, in ease the operator vent
to court and had writ scrvc IN him
would he do as was dO0o under Lin
coin, simply send the writ on to the
president? After little thought the
general replied that he would. Roose
welt said: All right, | will send
YOU"
president Roosevelt it was sail
had all preparations made for start
ing tho troops within half an hour
aftcr lhe request for federal aid was