The Washington times., 1922-03-29


e. "a "a luth Herald says
ss$'S>ass,S s@SxzN s&assSsa@W specifically that
WILLIAM HARD the unions have
succeeded Ia putting the burden Of
the blame for the strike on the mine
operators" Important Eastern
metropolitan newspapers carry such
editorial headlines as "A Strike OF
Coal Operators"
In 1919 tie operators had the
sympathy Of public opinion In try
ing to hold the miners to tho literal
wording OF a condract which techni-
cally at thar time forbade them to
strike. Today the miners are begin
ming to have a great deal Of news
paper editorial support in trying to
hold the operators to the literal
wording If the existing contract
which without doubt pledges them
to meet the miners in an inter
State conference. Many newspapers.
in order 20 be just as impartial as
possible. lecture both the operators
and miners on the duty OF comforting.
But this amounts to simply lecturing |
the operators; because II Is we'll
known that the miners have steadily
demanded the conference, while the
operators have steadily refused II.
The next point that energies from
this survey OF newspaper comment Is
that the opinion is very widely held
that the Government ought not to
stand by and content itself with look.
| Ing merely interested while the two
parties TO the strike are fighting out
their differences to a private finish. |
Scores OF newspapers take the post |
| fin,, x1thinh ha p,-io Na |
| Courier expresses in saying that "it
the operators persist in their refusal
to confer with the miners the Gov
eminent should go as far as 1t can
within reason to compel a confer
ence."
Some Southern newspapers such
as those In Richmond. Va, say such /
things as that President Harding |
will have to get rid of his tentative.
ness and irresolution" and "Presi- !
dent Harding can stop this strike IL
| he shows a measure Of firmness and |
determination" The duty OF the op.
orators to confer and the duty of the |
Government to push them into con.
ferring-these two points seem clear.
| ly supported by the great bulk OF
newspaper opinion in so far as 1t ad.
dresses itself to the subject.
But the present state OF opinion |
seems further to include certain |
other developments which are even /
more menacing to the operators. At
the time of tho last coal strike there
was virtually no discussion OF the
alleged general Encouragement OF
the coal industry. Today many
newspapers comment on the Excess
| sive number of coal mines in Amer |
| lea and the excessive number OF
coal miners. They speak Of the bur-
den which Is laid upon the coal con-
sumner by the excessive amount CT
capital and the excessive amount OF
man power which has been put into
the coal industry and which the con-
sumner has to carry in the prices
which he pays for coal.
In eastern metropolitan news.
papers which the miners would call
wall Street newspapers" there be-
gin to be editorials calling the coal
industry "a backward industry" and
calling It also "a colossally ineff.
cient industry" 1t is believed Ger.
tainly that this backwardness and
| this inefficiency must be ascribed to
certain policies Of the miners and to
certain policies OF the Government
as we'll as to the policies OF the oper-
ators; hut since the operators are
in charge of the industry they right. |
| ly or wrongly get most of the blame.
The Western Christian Advocate
Of Cincinnati, powerful religious
periodical, says:
1.-THE production Of coal has been
| la al
| the miners family and the home Of
the public have suffered the most
outrageous injustice, We are not
entirely convinced that all the wrong
lies on the side Of capitalism, but we
believe the greater part OF II is
| there"
| At the time of the strike Of 1919
anybody who suggested public
ownership of coal mines was a Dol
shevik." Today the st. Louis Christ
ian Advocate, a far from Bolshevik
periodical, can say:
Goal Is a public necessity. 1t is
now apparent that in the beginNing
It should have been declared a ma
tional asset and withheld from in
dividual ownership. The coal opera.
tors will have to proceed cautiously
or they will develop n strong trend
in publicc sentiment toward national
izing their properties"
The change of opinion in these
matters between 1919 and 1922 Is
striking. Then the mere act OF
going on strike was held to convict
the miners somehow of some sort OF
'radicalism." Now the genuine
"radicalism" of questioning die ef.
ficiency of the present private man.
agement of coal mines and of sug.
costing public control and even pub.
lie ownership of the whole coal in.
dustry comes to the surface un.
checked and for the most part urre-
buked. In the light of this change
there are friends of the coal opera
tors who are counseling them to