The Washington herald., 1921-04-18
Against Direct Action.
WY ITH apologies to Abraham Lincoln, there
w a lot of people in this world and


most of them are just plain folks Once
more Great Britain has demonstrated this supreme
fact in the politics and economies of that country
and sin world progress Whether those who try to
take control of affairs, economic political, OF
one class another, they have finally to bump up
against the supremacy of the plain folks.
>In-the coal strike the British have run true to
form under the leadership of the greatest political
tactican of the day. Lloyd George is not troubled
with scruples conscience, but he has brains and
they never sleep. Back of him in all his sinuosty
he manages to keep the popular opinion and popular
interest OF the moment.
The miners have lost their strike at least three
times. First, when they called out the pump and
engine The only result Of this would be
flooding the mines which are the only source Of
their employment, and so leaving themselves per-
manently idle, the mines valueless and nationalizs-
ton joke. Second, when after refusing to permit
others to man the pumps they had to concede this
to hold the support of other labor dependent on
coal for fuel and having larger measure of moral
sense, being more detached perhaps from the
rest of the personal equation
Again, when the miners refused to submit their
contention as an election issue. Finally when they
refused to negotiate with the mine owners the
leading contention of pooling all mine income to
support higher national wage scale. On this last
refusal the railroad and transport unions recalled
their sympathetic strike decision probably welcom-
ing the chance as they had had time to think
The real issue, however, was whether Britain
should continue to pay wage scale deficit by tax
alton During the the government took over
the mines guaranteeing a definite income to the
owners, selling coal and paying the miners The
result enormous deficits paid by taxes When
this was ended by turning the mines back to the
owners. the miners struck
They realized that this must have one two or
all OF three results-reduction of wages increased
production per man, lower mine income. They were
not mistaken that lower wages would come first
lnstead~o waiting, negotiating they struck and
-struSt. fmperiously. The railroad men who are in
eexactly~ the situation, knowing their turn
would come in August when the roads 60 back to
the owners, readily agreed to a sympathetic strike
I fhe-thHd OF the triple alliance" of labor, the
.transport men, more reluctantly agreed to join in
stIiez SaIk-out.
Lloyd George, forcseeing the situation had an
ztcipated it in vitriolic speech charging British
labor with radical destructive Socialism. He met
the condition by drastic law and BY holding the
olive branch in hand and force in the other
He insisted on arbitration between the miners and
owners, while he concentrated the army and called
for volunteer workers. Volunteers responded by
hundreds of thousands In this the foremost sup
port from the Middle Glass Union, or organ
lied consumers, large and powerful body standing
between capital and labor, affiliated with neither
but representing the folks. The upper classes
joined with them and Lloyd George had his clear
majority
He has So will the miners win, as they
must win, somewhere near a modern living wage
which they have never had But they will get their
gain by negotiation, by holding all Great Brit
ain by the throat They will probably have to take
4. al, Il
the mine owners probably will Also as they should
hsEe-to take reduced income, under some form
OF national agreement.
The great gain for the British and by reflex
action for all countries, is that the outcome has
quite definitely settled that labor cannot win by
direct action; it must take the slower, but safer
and. the whole surer method of negotiation, de-
pending upon the fairness and equity of public op-
ion to give them an at least fairly square deal.