The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1922-06-23
PRESIDENT URGED
END COAL STRIKE
Three Great Religious Bodies Ap-
peal to Harding.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ASKED
Protestant, Catholic and Jewish
Churches Call Upon Government
to Take immediate Steps to
Bring Disputants Together.

Washington, June 20.-President
Harding was asked to take steps to
end the coal strike in a joint appeal
presented to him by the commission
on the church anG social service and
the Federal Council of Churches, with
which are affiliated 80 great Prot
estant cOmmuniOns, the department
Of social action of the National Cath
0lic Welfare council and the social
Justice commission of the Central
Conference of American Rabbits. This
ie the first time, as far as is known,
that these repr sentative Organiza-
tons of Protestant, Roman Catholics
and Jews have taken joint action in
an industrial matter. The churches
in their appeal asked the President
To call national conference.
To get the facts of the coal indus
try through a government investiga-
top.
Not to wait until the suffering wom-
en- and children of the mining camps
have become a national calamity.
To end the strike now.
The appeal says in part:
"To the President of the United
States: We desire TO express to you.
on behalf of the three great religions
that we represent, our conviction that
the time has arrived when our gov
eminent should act to bring about
conference in the hituminous coal in
dustry to end the present strike.
Government Should Intervene.
Whenever either disputant in a
controversy declines to employ the
methods of conference and arbitra-
ton it becomes proper for the gov
eminent to intervene. 1t is inconceiv-
able that public action should wait
until the sufferings of women and
children in the mining towns have
reached the proportions of national
calamity.
ION March 81, 1922, representatives
of the commission on the church and
social service of the Federal Council
of the Churches of Christ in America
and the department of social action
of the National Catholic Welfare
council put before you a resolution
adopted by their respective bodies
urging government action looking
toward the settlement of the coal con-
trOversy.
"At that time it was pointed out
that the operators in the central COM
petitive field, comprising Illinois, In
diana, Ohio and western Pennsyl-
vania, had pledged themselves two
years previously to confer with the
union in order to negotiate new con-
tract. We wish to express our ap-
prevail of the action of the administra-
ton in publicly fixing responsibility
for the failure of such conference
upon certain coal operators who were
unwilling to be governed by the terms
Of their agreement.
'It is matter of profound satisfac-
ton that the strike has been remark
ably orderly. We have also been
gratified to note that the press has
made all unusually successful effort
to record the facts of this conflict.
Nevertheless, nothing effectual has
been done to bring it to an end.
Urges Joint Conference.
1--WE therefore, are impelled to
urge once more that the government
take steps to end the coal strike by
bringing the operators and miners into
conference.
I'VE would respectfully call your
attention again to the necessity of Sc
curing adequate information concern
ing the essential facts of the coal in
dustry. In particular, the absence of
authoritative information concerning
cost of production and profits has
served to increase discomfort among
the mine workers
''In the anthracite fields where con-
ferences are still in progress the lack
OF full information regarding the
financial facts of the industry may
cause the failure of all attempts to
negotiate a new agreement. The con-
sumers resent high prices for coal,
but are unable to form an intelligent
judgment as to the cause, on account
of the lack of authoritative informa-
ton,
1--WE call upon our government, out
of concern for the well-being of the
nation as whole, the health and
comfort of the miners, and the preser-
walton of the mining industry, to take
immediate steps to bring the dis
putants together in order to secure a
just settlement of the present strike
and an organization of the coal indus
try on the basis of the maximum
service to the nation"