The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1922-07-18
HARDING FORCES
ISSUE At MINES
To STOP STRIKE
Cabinet Meets With President as War
Council; Chief "Invites" Btu
mlnous Operators TO Open
Mine; Troops Ready.
SITUATION NOW MORE
SERIOUS THAN BEFORE
More Critical Than Since Walkout
April I; Takes View That Dire
Need OF Entire Nation Now
is Coal Production.

Washington, July Is - President
Harding and HIS cabinet met as a
council of war today. determined ia
force the production of coal in the
face OF the strike OF six hundred
thousand miners and the refusal of
their leaders and operator chieftains
to submit to arbitration.
Harding invited the bituminous
operators late yesterday to reopen
their mines when the owners ac.
cepted In part his arbitration pro.
posal and offered to put their mines
and services at the presidents
disposal
Keeping in mind the massacre Of
mine guards and non-union miners
at Herrin, Ill. and the fa.sd battle
between deputies and mine strikers
in West Virginia yesterday the
president and his cabinet discussed
the advisability of placing federal
troops on guard at all mines ac-
cepting the invitation to reopen
The situation is now regarded
more serious than at any time since
the coal strike began April |.
The fear is openly expressed here
that the nation faces one of the
greatest industrial wars in its his.
tory.
The president is planning on co
operation between the state and fed
eral military forces to bring about
coal production County and state
authorities will be asked to give
adequate protection to mines that
attempt to reopen with strikebreak-
ers. If state forces cannot maintain
order at the mines, federal troops
will be used.
Harding takes the view that the
overshadowing need of the country
now is the production of coal and
that it must be brought about re-
gardless of how II will affect either
the operators or the striking miners.
Harding is determined that the
Herrin and West Virginia episodes
shall not be repeated.
Many operators will attempt to
open their mines as the result of
the presidents action, A. M. Ogle,
president of the National Coal as
sociation, said today.
In an emphatic manner, John L.
Lewis, president of the United Mine
Workers, asserted that virtually
none of the army of striking miners
will return to work until their de.
mands are. met.
1t is probable that the first at
tempts to operate the mines with
strikebreakers will be made in the
western Pennsylvania bituminous
fields.
Governor Sproul of Pennsylvania
is ready to call out the Pennsylvania
state troops and take any other ac'
tion necessary to protect mining in
this region.
The miners are skeptical of the
presidents plan to resume coal pro
duction.
"What il the mines are re-opened
and troop protection is afforded
Lewis inquired "if the operators
cannot get the men to mine coal.
Not enough unskilled workers are
obtainable in the districts tied W
| by the strike to take places of the
| six hundred thousand skilled miners
on strike. Operating the mines witt
unskilled labor will prove a dis
astrous undertaking In fact, it il
an impossibility. Only handful o
skilled men can be found to act al
strikebreakers.
"The plan seems to me to b'
hopeless"
Other labor leaders privately ex
pressed the opinion that the presi
dents plan is certain to bring oi
strife in the coal centers,