Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-22
H COAL SITUATION


y be felt in the United States.
The railroad strike adds to the
difficulty. 1t has made the dis
tribution of such coal as is on
hand or being mined much harder.
Railroads are ~canceling some trains
partly on account of impaired equip
ment and partly on account OF
growing coal scarcity. At this
season Of the year it is necessary
to lay in stocks of anthracite for
winter consumption in many Sec
tions of the country. So far as an
thraeite consumption in the north
west is concerned it generally
comes by lake shipments during
the summer time. Some coal is
being imported from Great Bri-
tain also.
Evidently President Harding has
made up his mind that the time has
come when he is justified in taking
4 hand in the coal strike in the in
terest of the consuming public. He
has notified all the governors OF
the states that he expects their CO.
operation in protecting men who 60
to work in coal mines, and has call
ed on the operators to make an at
tempt to open their mines with any
labor they can get. and assured
them they will be protected with
all the powers Of the state and the
United States. All the governors
of the several states have replied
to the presidents request with as
surances Of cooperation except
five. One of these, the governor
of North Carolina has replied with
a flat refusal to protect men work.
ing in the mines with state troops
He does not approve of opening up
the mines with non-union labor.
and says he does not believe that
there will be any violence used
anyway. Four other governors have
so far not replied to President
Harding. One of these four is
Gov. Dixon of Montana. The 9th
er three are the governors OF Ore
gon, Arkansas and Texas.
So far as Montana is concerned
we have hardly any militia, only q
few hundred men at most. Or
one of his recent electioneerine
trips the governor was asked as to
his attitude on using troops in case
of breach Of peace by strikers and
he lodged the question. He said
he did not believe that there would
be any intimidation or breach OF
the peace by strikers in this state
and he had no troops worth men.
tioning. Also that he would up.
hold the constitution. Under the
constitution it is the duty of the
governor to preserve the peace
with all the force 1t his disposal in
event of the local peace officers
not being able to do so. And if the
force at the disposal of the govern
or is insufficient to uphold the law,
then it becomes the duty of the
governor to call on the United
States government for help. All
that is involved in his statement
that he would uphold the constitu-
ton of the state, but we could wish
that he had been more specific and
emphatic about it.
1t is evident that we are drawing
ear a crisis in the strike situation,
both the railroad strike and the coal
strike, though it is the latter that
the present action of the presiden,
Is concerned in. The soft coal
miners are asking for the old rate
of pay and certain working condi.
tons. Practically their strike is
against a reduction from the peak
wages of war times. We have nc
anthracite mines in Montana-at
least none that are producing
Therefore we are mostly concerned
in the soft coal strike situation. Sc
far we have not suffered for laci
of soft coal in Montana. A big
surplus was on hand on April frs
when the mines shut down. There
has been scarcely any soft Goa,
mined in the state since the shut
down, and no attempt has been made
to open any of the larger mines
Four hundred militiamen would b
rather an inadequate force to pro
tect the mines if they were opened
and the miners should seek to re-
sort to violence. So far as We
know they have so far shown nc
disposition to resort to any VIC
lence or breach Of the laws. They
have not sought to damage the
mines, or to do' anx illes.1 act.