New-York tribune., 1922-07-19
Who Will DIG
Coal? Gompers
Asks Harding
Order to Reopen Mines Fu-
tile, He Asserts, as All
Available Non-Union La
Dor Already Is Employed
Says Owners Broke Faith
Pledge to Employees Was
Treated as ''Scrap of Pa
per-" lie a d e r Declares

WASHINGTON. July is.--The mine
owners treated their pledge TO the min
ers as "scrap OF paper" declared
Samuel Gompers. president OF the
American Federation Of Labor, in a
statement in which he said that the
great need Of the hour was for nor
nal. natural conference between the
interested parties"
"Who will do the mining7" asked
Mr.. Gompers in commenting on Presi-
dent Hardng's invitation TO the opera
tors 10 resume work az the mines The
labor leader predicted that such ac-
tion under present conditions would
result In no appreciable increase In the
production Of coal.
"The country is drifting toward a
state OF irresponsibility IN dealing with
both the coal and railroad strikes"
said the labor chieftain. "Uttterances
from employers and from government
officials arc sufficiently alike in thought
and context 20 indicate the close bond
Of sympathy between the two forces.
The situation Is one well calculated 20
cause the gravest concern in every
quarter.
The President invites the mine
owners % return 70 their properties
and resume operations. Surely the
President does not expect that these
owners Of mines are going 10 dig coal.
There are not enough Of them in all 90
operate more than a mine or two. and
most Of them would not know how 20
dig coal even II they were in condition
10 dig coal and wanted % do so. Who.
then, is 10 do the mining when the
mine owners resume operations?'
"The miners who are on strike are
not going 20 dig coal until the strike is
ended. The non-union miners are and
have been az work and their number
cannot be increased materially. The
army may 20 TO the mining district,
but the army is not composed Of coal
miners.
"The fact is that there IS nobody 20
mine coal until the coal miners now
on strike return 20 the mines. They
will return 70 the mines gladly and
quickly as soon as the mine owners
agree with them on terms and condi-
tions Of employment.
"The responsibility for this grave
crisis is upon the mine owners. II is
on no one else. No matter what the
government may say. what the mine
owners may say, or what hostile news
papers may say, the mine owners are
the guilty parties.
LET II not be forgotten that the
strike was caused by the wanton dis
regard Of their contract by the mine
owners. They treated their pledge 70
the miners as O scrap Of paper They
refused 20 confer with the miners
They sought 10 treat the miners as
serfs and the miners refused 70 ac.
cept such treatment. They ceased min
ing coal.
1T is important 20 the country that
coal be mined. IL is even more i'm
portant that a half million miners be
treated with justice. The nation can
not put anything ahead Of justice
1c cannot put politics or the profits
Of a small group of mine owners ahead
Of justice % the miners. IL cannot
even put the need for coal ahead OF
justice. Coal can be had in ample
quantities the moment justice is done
Brute force cannot override justice
in the United States. ! do not know
what measures the President has In
mind TO take, but ! repeat the only
. method in which coal mining can be
resumed is agreement between the
{ miners and owners upon terms deemed
/ fair and just by both sides. Il will
/ not do TO tramplo roughshod over
/ the aspirations and the requirement,
of any portion OF our people. Thi.
is neither the hour nor the scene foi
the man on horseback. The great
need Of this hour is for normal, nat
ural conference between interested
parties When half a million men arc
agRrieved Is a poor time. indeed. fol
I the roll Of drums, the rafting OF
sabers and the pounding Of the maileC
| first"