The Washington herald., 1922-07-19
TROOPS PROBABLE
Weeks Ready to Call Ma
tional Guard If Regu-
lars insufficient.
LABOR LEADERS
DENOUNCE MOVE
Merely a Gesture" De-
clares Lewis, Scouting
Riot Possibilities.

President Harding is prepared to
in duct the National Guard into Fed
eral service in his effort to break
the backbone Of the great coal strike.
Word that such a drastic course
would be taken IL the emergency
warranted came from the War De-
partment late yesterday. Il receded
by a few hours the formal notices
of the President. calling upon bitum-
inous operators 70 reopen their mines:
and notifying State executives of the
mining commonwealths that the gov-
ernment expected them to afford am
pie protection for the properties and
men.
Your State government and the
Federal government" the President
wired the twenty-eight governors.
ARE Jointly responsible for main
tained conditions under which free
men willing to work may work in
safety. We are responsible for the
production and the transportation OF
a fuel supply ample for the neces-
stiles Of the American people and the
public utilities which serve them.
particularly the railways engaged in
interstate commerce.
Calls Upon Governor.
To this end the President called
upon the governors to invite 'aiI
miners and operators" to resume
work. This invitation" he said.
should be accompanied by such as
surances of maintained order ana the
protection of lawful endeavor as will
give assurance to everybody con-
cerned.
Il want to convey to you in this
message, the President emphasized
the assurance of the prompt and full
support of the Federal government
whenever and wherever you find your
own agencies of law and order in
adequate TO meet the situation"
Protection for the operators and
miners attempting to resume op-
Grafton of the mines will be ac-
corded, Secretary of War Weeks
announced. even IL National Guard
forces in unaffected States have to
be federalized and ordered into
service in affected areas.
Two Alternatives Given.
The protective campaign" form
ulated by Harding and Weeks gives
the governors of mining common
wealths these two alternatives:
Either State troops shall he or
dered out by tie State executives
TO guard the properties. employees.
homes and families of such opera
tors and men as desire to resume
coal mining. or
United States regulars will be
sent into States refusing, or in
capable OF this protection.
Because only about $4,000 reeu-
lars are available for strike serv-
ice, situation might well arise.
Weeks explained. whereby the
State guard of a neighborinR COM
monwealth would have to be fed
eralized and sent into trouble
zones.
Since railway car -hortage, grow
ing out of the shopmen's strike,
has become a corollary of the
mine situation. protective meas
ures evolved by the administration
will apply to both strikes.
Labor Men Denounce Move.
As renewed demonstrations oc-
CURED Of the administration's in
tentions to force effectiveness of
its experiment in strike-breaking,
union labor officials in Washington
denounced the Presidents course.
accepted the challenge against the
solidarity of the mine unions and
predicted failure for the effort.
1T will not do" said Presfden,
Samuel Gompers. of the Ameican
Federation OF Labor. ito trample
roush-shod over the aspirations and
requirements of any portion of our
people. When half a million men
are aggrieved. il is a poor time in
deed for the roll of drums. rattling
of sabres and pounding of the
ma''ed fist"
Final conclusions as to the ad.
ministration's policy in handling m,
mine strike situation were reached
at meeting Of the. President with
his Cabinet yesterday. Afterward n
was explained that the course de.
cided upon appeared to the Presi.
dent the only one left after both
miners and operators failed TO un-
qualffiedly agree to his arbitration
proposal
Scsnts Riot Possibility.
sibility of riots and bloodshed grow
ing out of The creation of military
camps about the mines.
A few timid people always fear
an outbreak of trouble when the
government is called upon TO ster
into such situations. he said. But
1t always has proved tina. when the
government did take a hand. IL did
so in an orderly way, in absolutt
fairness to both sides. and with
measurable success.
Weeks said the governor Of Col
oraao. before the strike situation
became acute out there, sent Stats
troops to guard the mines and coal
has been produced right along ever
since without disorder.
Dispatch of the Presidents for.
NAL communication to the operators
Continued On Page Too.