The Owosso times., 1922-07-28
Harding Asks That Coal Mines
Be Reopened and Promises
Federal Protection.
URGES GOVERNORS TO HELP
Negotiations to End Railway Strike
Run Against Seniority Snag-France
Consents to Moratorium for Ger
many-conference at The
Hague Ends in
Failure.
BY EDWARD W. PIckARD

BY EDWARD w. PICkARD
DRESIDENT HARDINGS last plan
for the peaceful termination of the
coal strike failed of acceptance by the
miners and by a considerable number
of the operators. 1t was that the
mines should be reopened under the
old scale and that a commission
should arbitrate national wage
scale. A large majority of the opera
tors agreed to the plan, but it could
not go through unless the acceptance
was unanimous on both sides.
Then the President put forward his
proposal for prevention of the fuel
famine with which the country Is
threatened. This Is that the mines
be reOpened at once and with what
ever labor can be procured, and that
the state governments in the respec-
tive states protect these workers and
give assurance of the maintenance Of
order. This Mr.. Harding set forth
In a long telegram to the governors
Of the states, and he promised them
the prompt and full support of the
federal government whenever and
wherever you find your own agencies
of law and order inadequate to meet
the situation"
Responses by the governors were In
the main highly satisfactory. That of
Governor Kendall Of Iowa, Is typical:
"As chief executive of the state of
Iowa l pledge every resource of the
state to the support of the program
you have inaugurated for the relief
Of the fuel situation" From two
governors-Morrison of North Caro-
lima and Ritchie Of Maryland-came
responses expressing outright dissent
from the Presidents program. The
former said in part: "YOur position
is practically to use the power of the
government against the strikers, and
they will naturally have little conf
dence In the impartiality or fairness
of soldiers or other agencies of force,
however good the reason for such a
stand may be-" Ritchie declined to
take immediate action, saying be
would not send the Maryland National
Guard to the coal fields until all
peaceful methods had failed. He did
not state what peaceful methods re-
main to be tried. Governor Allen of
Kansas said the Industrial court had
ordered the resumption of mining and
that about so per cent of the states
needs was now being produced.
In Illinois there is a situation, pre-
viously described, which seems to block
the Harding plan in that state. The
law provides that no one shall work
as a miner without first obtaining a
certificate of competency, and no
miner can get such certificate unless
he can submit evidence that he has
had at least two years experience as
a miner or with miner Moreover,
the 10000 miners Of the state are 100
per cent organized. There had been
some chance that their president,
Frank Harrington, would at the proper
time push the idea Of seperate state
agreement, but operators said this
hope was dispelled by the springing Of
the Washington plan.
North Dakota is confronted with. a
crisis that Is causing almost panic
among the residents, and the con-
ditions there are peculiar. Tie state
depends almost wholly on Ignite from
the mines within It's borders. The
miners, according to Governor Nestos,
quit on the national call and not be-
cause Of any local grievances. The
ignite fields. he says, have no eco
nomic bearing on the bituminous or an
thracite fields, and he believes II they
could be placed in separate category
and the operators permitted to deal