Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-06-05
MISTAKE OF THE MINERS

THE refusal Of the representatives Of the
L coal miners to consent to the plan Of
the anthracite operatives for the appoint
ment Of commission or tribunal BY the
President to find a way for bringing about
resumption Of work in the mines and
prevention of future suspensions Of work
was grievous mistake.
A meeting of the Scale Committee, at
which Mr. Lewis. president of the United
Mine Workers. will be present, is to be held
at Hazleton tomorrow to consider the mat
ter further. Unless the miners wish to for.
felt public sympathy. without which they
can succeed in nothing. they will reconsider
their refusal and consent to the request that
the President appoint his commission.
There never has been thorough inquiry
into all the facts involved in the mining
and sale of anthracite. Such inquiries have
been undertaken in this State. but they never
nave produced any satisfactory results So
many charges of so many kinds have been
banded about concerning the methods of
the operators and their relation TO the rail
road companies and their treatment of the
miners that no one knows the truth. and
every one suspects both the operators and
the miners Of cOnccaling essential facts.
There is growing sentiment in favor Of
Government control Of the mines. which,
"hi'S" "'H''hlHR Is uOne 10 prevent re-
currence of strikes and coal shortages and
cxorbitant prices. is likely to become strong
enough to bring about governmental action.
The anthracite operators are aware of this.
But they do not care to have the Govern
m"nt tax" their business away from them
But they have confidence enough in the Gov
"rnment TO justify them in accepting any
plan which 1t may suggest for bringing order
IN the anthracite business. This feeling is
doubtless what induced :. ID. Warriner to
say that 1--WE place ourselves ,lnreservedly in
the hands Of the President without strings
or qualifications.
If tn" operators can trust the President
with their right TO fair profit, the miners
certainly should be willing to trust him
with an adjudication through an impartial
commission Of the disputes regarding wages
and conditions Of work The public, which
ls the vital party in interest in the dispute,
Is willing that the miners should be paid
fair wage and that the operators should
make a fair profit, but it is convinced that
when it has to pay S1+ ton for anthracite
something is wrong somewhere. 1t would
Iik" I" have the wrong removed. and it can
see no way out save through some such plan
aS that proposed by the operators
When President Roosevelt interviewed in
loo2 h" had to force the operators to con-
sent under threat of losing control of their
mines. The miners and their organization
proiited by the award of the Roosevelt COM
mission. the operators lost nothing and the
whole country was benefited. There is every
reason for believing that similar salutary
result would follow an investigation BY the
proposed Harding commission
II is accepted as a matter Of course that
Secretary Hoover would be member Of the
commission. He is n mining oxpcrt cy-
peri"nced in large enterprises, and he has a
sense OF public responsibility strong enough
TO prevent him from forgetting the interest :
of the whole people, consumers as we'll as
miners and operators. He doubtless oIroodv
has much information at his command
What he has been doing was Indicated whom
1t was announced from Washington on Sa, .
urday that he was prepared at once 70 send
TO the Senate the information concer,ino
the bituminous situation sought in rcsoln !.
tion passed on Friday directing him to in II.
rcstigate and report as soon ms possible nm
| the coal strike and its effect on consumers
| All that he has to do is to put the data nj
| hand into the shape Of n report,
1t is evident that Mr. Hoover has boor
functioning as Secretary of Commerce Any
! report made by a commission under his di
rection would have the confidence of ~.
| public.