The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-07-27

day morning was issued today by
President William Quinlan OF Chicago
'of the surface lines employees unions.
Il believe there will not be surface
car operating Tuesday, he said.
-------------------------
ever ready to correct an error which
Is made, else government itself would
become unjust. Moreover, 1t is indis
putable that there can be no govern
ment unless its mandates are accept
ed by the citizenship of the republic.
This observation related more par
ticularly to the railroad situation.
When the mining situation became
menacing | invited representatives Of
the mine workers and the operators
to conference. They came together,
they were advised as to the call OF
common welfare, yet in eight days
OF opportunity no progress was made.
In the absence Of any tribunal au-
thorized TO settle disputes between
mine workers and their employers the
federal government then voluntarily
proposed the creation of national
commission before which the disputes
might be settled justly, in the light
of full information and in accordance
with the best expressions of our mod
ern civilization. Instead OF contem.
plating the resort to force, 1t antici.
pated the very opposte-industrial
peace with justice to every man con.
cerned. Instead Of aiming at 'sivol-
untary servitude," to which you IN
excusably refer, the government
asked the mine workers to resume
their activities. in response to mani.
feet public need, at precisely the
same wages and under precisely the
same working conditions as those un-
der which they had been working
contentedly for the last two years.
Those who spoke for the mine work.
ers refused such a proposal
There is no dispute of the right
to refuse. Since they declined to
respond, and since it is believed there
are enough men who love this coun-
try and cherish It's security. and be.
lieve in serving the common welfare
to come to the relief of the mining
situation, and avoid suffering, prlva.
tion and paralysis, asked the gov.
ernors of the coal mining states to
invite mine operators and mine work
ers to resume their activities, and to
promise that to which every man is
entitled. namely, protection in his
lawful pursuits. This protection ap-
plies alike to the men on strike who
observe the law and make no lawless
with men at work. and
to the men who are lawfully at work
and entitled to protection by every
agency of government in that work.
II you mean to challenge the right
eousness of free men to be protected
in their lawful pursuits against in.
reference and violence, | will be glad
to join you in submitting that ques-
ton to the decision of the American
people
1T will interest you to know that
instead of the governments action
being an expression Of the preferenc
being an expression of the preference
of the capitalstic class, II has been
quite as much opposed by those who
speak for employers as it is by you
and your associates, Government
to represent neither class
alone, and is opposed to all conflict
among classes, and disputes the right
of any group or class, organized or
to imperil American
welfare. Government speaks only
for the American people as a whole
and the common good of all its
"In view of all that the government
has done or attempted to do during
the past year and half to relieve the
American farmer from the burdens of
readjustment and to relieve labor
from the hardships of unemployment,
/ know your attempted appeal to
American prejudice will fall upon
deaf ears. II is ungrateful and it is
untrutiful, If you are the believer in
peace and harmony and the reign OF
Justice, which you would have be-
lieved, | invite you now to pass judg.
ment on the failure of the mine
workers to accept the awards Of an
able and impartial commission in de-
termining the merits of the dispute
between coal miners and coal opera.
tors, and invite you to urge the
striking railway workmen to accept
the decision Of the American railroad
labor board, acting under authority Of
the law, which must be supreme, and
return to work under that decision
until you and |, and everyone else
interested in American welfare, may
join in asking the railroad labor board
to give a rehearing on any question
concerning which there is reasonable
doubt about the correctness or the
justice of the decision made, These
are the ways Of peace, these are the
requirements of enlightened civiliza-
tion, these are the things expected by
your government Of its loyal and law
abiding citizenship.
WARREN G. HARDING"