Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-03
THE COAL CONTROVERSY

THE COAL CONTROVERSY
"A clear comprehension of all the
complications attending the threat
ened coal strike is difficult. Opinions
conflict as absolutely as do the in
functions of the courts, one Of which,
that of Judge Anderson prescribed
the check off, system under which
the operators deduct from the pay
checks the union dues, and the in
junction of Judge Miller on the Hi
nois operators prohibiting them from
interfering with the "check- off,"
, Judge Anderson cnjoins the Labor
unions from attempts to unioniZc the
West Virginia coal mines on the
ground that to do so would effect 4
combination in restraint of trade,
whereas an act of Congress declares
that Nothing contained in the anti
trust laws shall be construed to for
bid the existence and operation of
labor, agricultural and horticultural
organizations, Institutions for mu-
tual help, and not having capital
stock or conducted for profit" etc,
NOR shall such organizations or the
members thereof, be held or con-
strucd to be Illegal combinations or
conspiracies in restraint of trade UNI
der the antitrust laws"
In such apparent divergence in dis
tinguished opinion the man in the
street will scarcely feel that he knows
all about the matter or wherein JUS
tice lies. About the only thing he
can be sure of is that whatever hap
pens and whoever may be found to
be within the law he will be called on
to pay the bills. When he considers
the efforts that have been made by
the leaders of the miners organiza-
tons to compel the West Virginia
mines to recognize the unions he nat
urally is convinced a powerful reason
is back of those efforts.
William H. Coolidge of Boston told
@ Senate committee the other day
that the purpose of the United Mine
Workers is possession of the coal
mines and the establishment of an
industrial autocracy; that they would
do this by first unionizing all the
mines and that once accomplished
they would increase their demands
for wages to the point that the mines
would be Improbable when they
would take them over themselves.
This program would out -Trotzkyize
Trotzky. Judging by what happened
in Russia, by the time the miners
organizations got control of the
mines, it would be found that the
leaders of the organizations would
control them to their own advant-
age. But the man in the street does
not care to endure any of those Rus
sian experiments here in America.
man of the directors of the largest
coal producing company in Logan
county, may have exceeded the
bounds of probability, yet there have
been many painful proofs that organ
lied labor has entertained similar
dreams of obtaining possession of
that for which they have not and
would not render an equivalent in
value. There is good reason to be-
licve that the mine unions would cx-
pect, if they could unionize all the
coal mines, to be able to freeze the
pubic into submission to their de-
Mands. Nowhcre>do we find any evil
dcnce that organized labor would
have any computations on this ac-
count. The threatened railroad strike
and that of the drivers of milk wag-
ons because they couldn't secure an
increase in wages, all point that way.