The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-07-12
COAL STRIKE
PROPOSAL TO
Be ACCEPTED
Arbitration Plan Likely to Go
Through Federal Seizure
Remote Even if Harding
Course Fails.
OTHER WAYS ARE OPEN
ny MARK SULLIVAN


better guess is that President Harding
proposal for arbitration of the coal
strike will be accepted, although one
might not think so, if he were moving
about In contact with the various par
ties to the controversy
All these parties are too close to
the controversy to see the Presidents
proposal for what it is namely, sim
pie provision for an impartial tribunal
TO consider differences of two parties
who are unable to agree upon their
own initiative. ALI the parties to the
controversy insist upon spending their
time with their eyes glued to the teles-
. cope, looking for distant future possi-
Utilities of the working out of the plan.
And each of them finds possibilities
which from the point of view of their
distant future policies, are a menace
But the thing which all parties will
be compelled to realize is that Presi-
dent Harding's proposal is in line with
civilization in that it provides an un-
biased tribunal for the consideration
OF quarrel for which the alternative
remedy is the use of force on both
sides. Before the final moment comes,
every party to theS controversy will
have to make up his mind whether he
Is willing to bear the odium of having
to submit his cause TO an impartial
tribunal.
What Do If Failure
II there should be failure of the
attempt at arbitration the question
arises, what next?" That is a diff
ficult question, because the answer de-
pends to some extent on which party
Is responsible for the failure to arbi-
trate. Whichever party is responsible
Tor failure, the other party will be like
ly to line up with the government and
with the public to help beat the re-
calcitrant one.
Contrary to widespread predictions
it is the judgment of your correspond
ent that the Communicating of the
mines by the government is not among
the probable immediate outcome of
the present situation. This particular
remedy necessarily would be so re-
pugnant to the mine owners that they
would yield almost anything before let
ting things come to the point Of gov
eminent seizure, with its inherent
menace of leading on to something
approaching permanent nationaliza-
tion of the mines.
Moreover, from the point of view of
the government, this remedy would be
so drastic. so distinct departure from
the constitution and so full of difficult
ties in carrying it out. that it must be
the last of the remedies that the gov
eminent is likely to consider
Only Difficult Situation
About the only place where the prob
ability OF coal famine is so likely as
to cause communicating to be thought
OF is in the Lake states Those states
are affected not only by the coal stike,
but also by the fact that they depend
for getting their coal on lake trans
portation. 1t is hardly possible that
lake transportation, even if it should
be hurried vigorously from now on.
could give these states a sufficient coal
supply for the winter
Due to the closing of the mines
from which these states get their coal,
IL is said that in some of them there
Ii not now more than 10 per cent of
the quantity of coal commonly on
hand at this season. The situation
is such that in Minnesota measures
have been taken looking to mobilizing
wood fuel for the winter.
But even if Communicating of the
mines should be considered for a To-
cality in which the conditions are so
severe as this, the process would
hardly stop there. Other communi.
ties. even though they were so badly
prepared for the winter, would never
the less demand Communicating Of
their sources of supply. also and the
government would be deluged with a
quantity Of demands such as would
get it into the coal business to a de-
gree very impracticable and disturb
ing to contemplate For an admins
tration which came into power with a
pledge of less government in bust
ness" communicating the coal mines
would be most unlikely step
Might Call on Hoover
If the attempt to arbitrate should
not succeed, seizure of the coal mines
would be the last of the possible rem.
edies to be adopted rather than the
first. The first step following fail
ure of the attempt at arbitration
might be any of several. Doubtless
the management of the situation
would be turned over to Secretary
Hoover, who is resourceful in such a
field as this and has had successful
experience in managing various sim.
liar situations involving scarcity of a
commodity on a nationwide scale.
Some things could be done withou;
me QlE0CI OF IOTHldl use Dy the gov
ernment of the authority and force Al
its command. Through mere energy
and skill in organization the situation
might be handled in some such way
as the unemployment crisis was han
died last fall. or as the detail of the
price of coal has been handled re
Gently
There are districts where both the
miners and the mine owners are sc
eager to get back to work that they
undoubtedly would take any refusal
Of the heads of their organizations e
arbitrate as an excuse for breaking
away and going to work.
Might Be Adequate.
The energetic use of these resource:
together with the non-union mines al
ready at work, with cooperation or
the part of consumers, dealers, rail
roads, and others, under capable gov
ernment leadership. might readily bi
enough. II this sort of informal actor
should be insufficient, the force an6
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