Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-12-24
COAL WALKOUT
NEXT SUMMER
is POSSIBLE
BY FRFDERIC J. HAsKIN

/ OF the commission AeaQeQ by JOIlu
Hays Hammond who are tnvesti-
eating the coal industry. experts in
industrial relations and few far
seeing government officials are
sounding the warning that another
coal strike may fasten its paraly2-
| ing grip on this country next sum-
mer. That is not exactly a pleas
ant. Christmas greeting for the
American people. but 1t gives them
something to think about. The
| trouble is that the American peo-
pie do not like to think about any
thing disagreeable until 1t actually
happens.
A year ago when the devastating
! strike that came last summer APP
peared Inevitable the public was
warned. 1t was also told OF the
strong possibility that there would
! be a railroad strike with disas-
trous consequences. But the public
| refused to get excited over the
prospect. Apparently there was a
general idea that those who sound
| warnings of that kind are only
croakers and "glooms" who seek to
take the JOY out of life and that
anyhow the way TO deal with an
unpleasant prospect is to ignore It
to defer dealing with it until 1t
| becomes a reality.
Both strikes came ms scheduled
and the price the country paid and
| is still paying for them will never
| be measured Before they were
over the public had become suf-
! ficiently excited to satisfy the most
exacting, but the excitement con-
sisted chiefly in venting indiscrin-
mate and unintelligent condemna-
| ton on the parties to the strikes
and in criticisinS government Off
Gals for not settling the controyer-
sizes overnight.
When the strikes were called off
or temporarily adjusted--it is to
| be borne in mind that there were
no permanent settlements-the
public sighed with relief and SEEM
ingly proceeded to forget all about
| them.
Well Informed observers believe
that both strikes might have been
averted had the public been SUR
ficiently aroused and made 1t clear
| that there was an overwhelming
popular sentiment that would not
| tolerate such industrial upheavals.
Neither employers nor employees
care to precipitate such crises when
they know that the public mind Is
dead set agalns4 them. In the long
run, thew know their welfare de-
| ponds upon the good will OF the
public, and they also know. il the
public does not, that thoroughly
aroused and hostile public opinion
is moro efficacious than anti-strike
laws.
Get Ready to Gross the Bridge
Indifference or heedlessness on
the part of the great mass OF the
people toward threatened indus
trial catastrophes is based appar-
emily on the philosophy that "you
can't cross q bridge until you come
to it," That is a homely maxim
| that has been used and much
abused. 1t is just as safe a guide
to thought and action as other gem
civilizations, OF which the soundest
is, mo generalization is wholly
true, not even this one"
It is a physical fact that we can
not cross a bridge until we get to
| it, but 1t is equally a fact that we
| can get ready to cross n bridge
| before we approach 1t. 1t is even
| possible in some cases to avoid
crossing a bridge that is danger
| GUS by making a slight detour.
| So it is that those who are call
ing attention to the likelihood of
| another coal strike next spring and
| summer are endeavoring to arouse
| the public to the wisdom Of get
ting ready to cross the bridge. They
| believe that If this can be done
and sufficiently impressive pop
ular opinion is stirred up 1t may
| not be necessary to cross the bridge
when the time comes.
That bridge spans the chasm
that yawns between mine operators.
and mine workers. a strike is an
exceedingly unsafe bridge. 1t
should be condemned and a better
way found over or around the
chasnn. In fact, it should be posi-
BILE to compel the operators and
miners to fill in and close up the
chasm. It should not exist. 1t is
a constant menace to the general
public, and to the coal industry
| itself.
It is not important that It be
| determined which side dug thc,
chasm or what upheaval created
it. The operators may blame the
miners for it, and vice versa, but
it Is certain that 1t can not be
blamed on the public or held to
! be IAN act of Providence"
Public Has Been Negligent
The public can be held RESPONSE
| bic only for permitting it to con-
| negligent. Members of the coal
commission, alive to the difficulties
of their task of pointing the way
to the sterilization of the coal in
dustry, are thoroughly convinced
OF that fact and they are seeking
to dispel the apathy, ignorance, or
| whatever 1t is to which this neg
| ligence is due. Hence the warn
| ings that another coal strike is
possible, if, indeed, not highly
| ly probable.
Investigation to date has dis
| closed little beyond the fact that
| the operators and miners, especial
| ly in the bituminous branch of the
industry, are virtually as far apart
as they were year ago or when
| the recent strike was at its height.
Each side is just as insistent on its
own demands and just as unyield-
ing to the demands Of the other.
In reality the situation is SIM
ply that Of an armistice while both
sides prepare for renewal OF open
warfare. AS yet there has been
little pretense of negotiations look
ing toward real and permanent
| peace.
1t is true, OF course, that the
operators and miners are. coop
Grating now in the production OF
coal. In fact, they are fairly fe-
verish in their efforts to get out
the largest possible tonnage every
day and every week and new
production records are being es-
tablished. They would do even
better IL they could get all the
cars they could use and adequate
transportation facilities to move
the coal from the mines to the
consumer.
However, the significant thing