The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-09-21
HEAD IS
PHYSICAL WRECK
Recent, Long Drawn Out
a Strike. Hard on Lewis,
According to Report.

Reports indicate that the long
drawn out strike of the union soft
coal helds has affected the health
Of John r. Lewis, president Of
the United Mine Workers OF
America. To what extent has not
been learned. In an address in
Connection with the settlement in
the hard coal fields Mr.. Lewis is
quoted as follows: II have been
out on the firing line and l have
bean working for weeks and
months. I have given my best
and have no apologies to make. I
am q physical wreck. / have suf-
Tered as John Mitchell and John
White did. know now why
after q few years service they
were forced to retire.
Mr.. Lewis reviewed the strug-
gle Of bltuminous and anthracite
miners. He told with what effort
the bituminous men had won their
fight and then switched to the
anthracite struggle, declaring
that he had not given up the hope
of the check.off and an eight-hour4
day, but the proposal before the
convention was the very best the
miners could hope to get, he said.
Miners Financing.
saward's, Journal, New York
City, comments as follows on the
financing OF the miners strike:
1T became known this week that
q loan Of 100000 on personal
notes Of John L. Lewis and other
officials Of the United Mine Work
ers, without collateral security,
was made to the union last July
by the Hartman National Bank OF
New York. It was made at a time
when the unions funds were run
ming low and there was urgent
need of money with which to con-
tinue the srtike. Was this the
/, basis for Governor Miller's state
ment that the big strikes were
financially Wall street? Many u
great tale has been founded upon
"a more Inadequate basis"
s The Public Pays.
Commenting upon. the cost Of
the coal strikes Secretary of Com
mefce GHovoer is quoted as fol-
lows: There is one fundamental
lesson that the public should abb
sorb from the coal situation, and
this lesson can be derived with
out discussion of the rights and
wrongs OF the demands Of either
lmine workers or mine operators,
or, the incidents Of negotiation in
their settlement. That Is, four
month suspension Of production
in the coal industry, while primar-
lily q conflict between employer
and employe, brings the public
in as the largest suffer.
1.-THE public Is the victim OF In
finite loss; unemployment ex-'
tends from it not only to the
workers in the industry but to
hundreds of thousands outside OF
IL; great damage Is done to COM
inerce and industry; public
heath Is jeopardized and a vast
wave Of crime and defiance Of the
Jaw hdh GAbdOA.
8.,Yet the public has no voice in
the negotiations and cannot ex-
press itself as to the right or
wrong OF the matter. The de-
inaiids Of either side may be just
tSs unjust, but the largest suffer-
er concerned has no representa-.
kion In the discussion" He offers
no constructive suggestion, how
aver. nor does he indicate what
The public can do about 1t II the
I miners again insist on settling the
next strike to suit themselves.
Strike Not Settled.
n: Frankling Thomas, head of
"a large Cardiff exporting house,
who was in the United States re-
Gently Is quoted as follows on the
recent American miners victory:
''As an outsider, one hesitates
to offer criticism, but 1t appears
to me that the settlement arrived
az In the American bitumlnous
egfike Is a very bad one. The
,oSerators appear to have given
way to the men in order to snatch
ansimmediate profit, and 1t is al
most certain that this will tend to
fnrther trouble in the near future,
asSthe coal trade OF the world is
not In d position to allow the pay
ment Of such high wages as have
been granted to the American
miners.
HAs result of our settlement,
We haye been through a bad time,
both owners and miners, but we
4 Sow have peace and the trade Is
vi D sound financial basis. I think
N highly probable that before
prosperity is assured In the Ameri-
can coal trade a similar process
viii have to be gone through"