The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-18
, ONE CONCLUSION EVIDENT

| i controversy renders evident the con l cldsion that for several months the , real issue in the controversy has been 1 recognition of the United Mine Work 1 CTS of America.
 | Another situation making clear the fact that recognition of the union is the fun- damental issue between the operators and ! the miners is to be found in the contro- versy that has been waged for some
 months regarding the so,called ''brue book contract. The Fundamental ob- | lection to that contract on the part of | the operators lies in the clause relating
 to the arbitration of differences between the operators and the miners. Those op-
 orators who have refused to sign the con-
 tract have refraned from so dofng cr,et- l 1y on the ground that they would thereby | formally or informally recognize the l miners union.
 | Conversely. it appears that the United
 Mine officials have made the issue re-
 garding the blue book contract mainly
 on the ground that they regarded this 1 contract as an indirect, if not a direct. recognition of the union.
 | Other facts might be cited to suppory l the conclusion that recognition of the 1 United Mine Workers of America is the chief. if not the sole, ground on which rests the present controversy. It is, how 1 ever, unnecessary to cite additional evi- dence to support this ciew for the simple reason that both sides to the controversy 1 have frankly stated to the commission tthat recognition of the miners union is the essential and outstanding issue in the controversy. Indeed, the issue is so sim 1 pie and clear that an understanding of | it requires nothing more than ordinary intelligence and reasonable capacity for candid thinking.
 WITHIN THEIR RIGHTS | Obviously, both the operators and the
 union mine officials are acting within their constitutional rights in their refusal to submit their essential differences for adjudication by this commission. Equal ly clear is the fact that the commission has no power to compel them to arbtrate in such situation.
 The legislature itself is, under existing circumstances. equally impotent This, however, does not mean that the leg islature, representing the public, may not enact legislation designed to protect the
 public. On the other hand, the commis- sion is strongly of the opinion that the legislature ought to act promptly and in
 such fashion that relief shall be forth
 coming We are convinced that public sentiment demands such relief
 The wage scale now in operation in the Alabama field represents. as has been explained. substantially the award of the bituminous coal commission, the single item in dispute on this point having ref erence to the inconsderable difference in the pay of day labor This difference
 has resulted from the divergent construc-
 tion of the language of the report of the
 commission. The strike in effect during
 the spring and summer of 1920 was more
 or less localized. It centered in large oa-
 gree in an organized struggle to force the
 adoption by individual operators of the
 co- stb1na hnOlx cnutract> This
 strike was finally merged into the general
 strike beginning September [. The issue
 that had for some months prior to Sep
 temher been in some degree camouflaged.
 or, at any rate, only partially understood
 by the public. finally found definite and explicit statement. The success of the
 sporadic strike for the adoption of the
 blue book" contract had apparently been
 unsatisfactory to the union mine officials
 The call for the general strike was. therefore. natural sequel. Just how far the general strike has been successful is a difficult matter to determine. The
 claims of the opposing parties to the con troversy are widely divergent both as to
 production and as to the number of men on strike. One thing, however. is quite clear as a result of present conditions
 The public is not getting an adequate supply of coal on the one hand and on the other hand is being required to pay an exorbitant price what fl does get The domestic consumer is perhal the chief
 victim of the tragedy being enacted. Re- sponsibility for this situation rests, in the
 judgment of the commission. jointly on
 the operator and on the union mine of
 ficial. The operator is undoubtedly tak- ing advantage of the abnormal market
 There are other conditions. asidc
 situation growing out of the current
 shortage of supply. while the union nina