Evening star., 1921-05-24
Editorial Digest
Our Own LittlA SilAsia,

S"A xAtt4o 0lko8l6s
West Virsinia is sharply criticised
IN the press for the recurrence Of
civil war" in its coal delds. The At
titude Of most writers 10 that In IN
industrial dispute in which both the
miners and the coAi operators seem
equally to blame for bloodshed the
iailure OF the state Authorities to
maintain order is. as the Baltimore
Sun Independent democratie) holds.
rehection upon West Virginia"
Little sympathy is felt for the appeal
Ter federal assistance, and, except in
d very lew papers, the President Is
accordingly commended for his 70.
fusal to grant it.
hi.ue enort is made by editors to
anaiy1e the immediate Causes Of the
present outbreak. or to Az the blame
.or us us 1nstieatioh upon either side.
t5enenSen de- .nd Mew York Evening Post tin-
sion for the renewal Of fehtins is Of
small concern" It's sienifica neA Ties
IN the 1act Of its being "the visible
sign sig n, tn that the tensity 81 feeling has
ins ored poinfn another e., OF M its periodic bre.k:
var, the st. Louis Post Dispatch, (ir-
dependen) reports. "are four dead
and Two wounded" figures which il
tpncedes tp are negligible. viewed
tnrs tnroosn the memory Of reports that
a rev years ago" but which. occur
ring IN an American state in times OF
proiound peace. are d.sduietine."
and while. the merits Of the contro-
versv i. are are difficult to set at" the sag
iieves that the situation points to "a
lamentable breakdown Of authority,
caused either by the inability or un-
.Ms.Inngness Of state and local au-
,norlties to smash these rebels against
law and order"
Mlneo county Is merely the natural
course OF events. in the oninion AZ
both the Chattanooga News demo
Gratico ana the Philadelphia Public
,Ledser Independently because. as tks
Less than a year ago ten men
were killed in Matewan's streets.
mere was a trial in due course, but
1or reasons Peculiar to the district
mere mere were no convictions. Murder
virs,a Vnaa snppsi'hsa sna Ksn,.x. III II .... we.
few Of these bad actors Of tne
nliis should be hanged or sent to
the penite ntiary. Murder has way
OF .aaI .haap,pening again and again"
,;S;nS tnat west F1f9fniae
the New York World democratic,
nevertheless charges that the state
mas never made a deterrained effort
70 control the situation" and until
II II has sn,orea s,,ough ,st courage ana ability
both warrins factions. "th4 An,eri-
can Balkans will go on erupting in
feuds and gunplay" The Wheeling
!ntelligencer republican, "presumes'
that its own state is "a sovereign
maintain order within her borders."
Yet. it admits. Instead Of making
any real effort TO handle the Minso
county situation. Charleston inme-
diately sends \ wall to washinston
toef Tor federal a. troops" ana i asks.
pacity?"
What that state needs. according
to the Pittsburgh Leader fpro-
eressive republican,. us d course in
Americanization." because:
"Ho state which permits the feu.
dsl!stic Industrial system which pre-
wallis in West Virginia. supported BY
a private army Of gunmen. should
expect anything better Or different.
While these stand West Virginia will
While to the Buffalo Commercial
that the difficulty in the West viz
sinia coal fields II open warfare
between the closed and open shop"
the situation appears differently to
the Cleveland Plain Dealer (inde-
pendent democratic). which interprets
1t as a struggle on the part Of the
miners for the right TO organise.
The Plain Dealer suspects the state
authorities Of sympathising "in the
main with the operators" and thinks.
30 long as that condition obtains.
this warfare viii continue" And
the issue will finally be decided. the
Oregon journal portland. indie
pendenb predicts. by sustaining "the
contention OF the faction whose
ranks include the most expert marks
men,"
In any event the Pittsburgh Ga
zette-Times (republican) declares.
the conditions which lead to these
recurrent outbreaks Of violence have
got to be cured" and the Grand Rap
ids Herald independently suRsests
that. while we are promoting means
"to prevent wars between nations. 1t
would be appropriate to devise some
scheme for ending the industrial
civil wars. which the New York
Globe independently calls "a char
acteristic picture in the industrial
history Of the United States"