The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-04-08
No BAN Up ON Coal.
STRIKE FARLEY
Attorney General Says Owners
Fears Are GrOundIeSS.
OPERATOR SCORES LEWIS
Says Union Head Prevented Negoti-;-
tions Asked For in Central Penn
syIvania-No Prospects of arIey.


Washington, April Attorney Gen,
eral Daugherty, according to lettel
written by him to Representative
Bland, Republican,, Indiana, and read
into the house labor committee record
is of the opinion that bituminous coal
operators of the country need have nc
fear of prosecution under the Sher'
man act should they participate in
conference with union miners.
The letter of the attorney genera!
was placed in the committee record by
Representative Bland, after refernce
TO statements of some mine operators
that in view of indictments recently
returned by a federal grand jury il
indianapolis against operators and
miners, they feared to meet miners
representatives in conference
The strike, as it has affected the
bituminous field of Central Pennsyl
vania, was blamed on the miners by
Il. Fl. Watkins, spokesman OF the Up
orators Association there, who de
clared the break was due to the posi-
tive refusal of the miners union tC
negotiate with employers. He was
appearing before the house labor com
mittee, which has heard the unions
national leaders declare the strike was
occasioned by refusal of the operators
to negotiate for a new wage contract
Watkins said that, Notwithstanding
the refusal of mine owners in Illinois
Ohio, Indiana and western Pennsyl'
yania to enter a national conference
with the union, the men were "repudi-
ating their own principles of collective
bargaining and violating their own
contracts by refusing themselves to
negotiate with operators In districts
out side of the centra! field"
1.-THE result of the unions action,
he said, "had been to take $4,000 coal
miners in central Pennsylvania out on
a strike in gross breach of faith and
contract"
John L. Lewis, president of the
United Mine Workers, Mr.. Watkins
said, was using the smoke screen OF
accusation against Pittsburgh and
Ohio operators, familiar piece OF
union strategy" in making their refus,
al to meet the union an excuse to call
q national strike.
Mr.. Lewis dares to try and con
f,:,;:. the public" he added, charging
farther that the calling of national
strike over the central field was lit
Se'i Il violation of contract"
Speaking for himself, he said be
"prcfe.r2d to bargain collectively with
a responsible and proper labor Organ!'
Zation over wages, and the operators
for whom l speak have done so fOi
twenty-five Years.
Goal 0Derat0rS generally. Mr.. Wat
kins said, considered that under pres
eul conditions 'it would be financial
suicide for them to enter into any
agreements not based on mining ana
market conditions in each district.
THIS was Il stand in opposition to tn
unions policy of nAtiona! agreements
he said, but Eve in central Pennsyl-
van!a cannot longer endure the IL
tolerable delays and alarming loss OF
Ifdhe WHICH we HIVE litI W CilduAS
in waiting upon and submitting 20 the
central field agreement"
"Repeatedly we have warned 0uI
employees Of the economic result OF
this policy" Watkins continued, "and
of the constant transfer IL nOn-union
fields for our business, leaving 0u'
men only a phantom scale of wages
ANA our mines in idlena@S, but thS
miners have been successfully domin
ated by their executive staff, which
has cleverly misrepresented the issue
We have lost business W can neve!
get back. because consumers have
grown d.s@ tstcd with the constant
failure to get deliveries coal from
our uni1niZed mines, whose prediction
is constantly held up by union policies
and constant union disruption owe:
wage scales, when our non-unlOn com
petitors can guarantee supplies a