Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-28
TIE DUE TIME" FOR ACTION
IN TIE COAL STRIKE is NOW
Instead Of Waiting for Things to Hap.
pen, the President Should Make
Them Come to Pass

TT Is becoming evident that the presence
of troops in the mining regions is not
going to bring about a resumption of work
I'm the mines The Presidents resentment
Of the charge of J. Ccve Dean. chairman
of the Railway Employees Publicity Assoc
citation, that an ''attempt to operate the
mines or railroads by military forces or to
attempt to draft men into mining or rail-
road service would be an attempt to cstab
lish involuntary servitude' IS emphatic
Mr.. Harding says that mo one has at
tempted or proposed to draft free men into
either the railway or the mining service, or
suggested coercion under military force
lie says further that the military force Is to
be used only to prevent lawlessness and TO
protect men IN their right to stop work and
in their right to work.
Tho assertion OF this right to work and
to stop work is good so far as it goes But
what are we to do If the men who have
stopped work in the mines refuse to take
up their tools again and If other men do
not volunteer to get coal out?
The union miners have thus far shown
little disposition to return to work and there
their places.
There IS going TO be no settlement Of the
mine trouble by the means thus far adopted
The miners have refused to go back to work
at the wages which they have received for
the last two years pending n settlement of
their grievances by n national commission,
and the mine operators have refused to open
their mines on these terms
The refusal has been followed by the
futile plan of display of military force in
order to give the operators an opportunity
to show what they could do under the pro-
lection of armed men.
What the President should have done in
the first place, and what he should delay no
longer in doing--the "duc time" of which
he has spoken is now-is TO assert the
authority of the Government by appointing
an unprecedented and unbiased commission Of
representatives of the public.
Then he should summon before that com.
mission both the miners and the operators
and tell them. in language 50 plain that there
can be no mistaking its meaning, that they
must state their case in all It's bearings in
full hearing Of the whole country, and
allow the commission to decide between
them.
If the demand Of the miners for an In
crease in wages can stand examination and
can be justified in the light Of all the facts.
public sentiment will demand that the In
crease be granted.
All sorts Of misleading statements are
made about the earnings of the men. What
is needed is the facts. The rate of wages
by the hour or by the day is not enough
What should be known is how much do the
miners earn in year? Do they work 300
days or only 10 days? A wage that would
support family when earned for 800 days
would come a long way from supporting 1t
If paid for only 10 days
If there is a surplus OF labor in the
mining distr!cts-and every expert says
there is-then why Is that surplus main
ta!ned? Have the operators deliberately
brought the men into the districts In order
to keep the supply in excess Of the demand
so that they can keep wages down? If not
why do they not operate their mines twelve
months in every year with an adequate force
and allow the surplus labor to seek en-
ployment in other occupations?
These questions will have to be answered
before there can be satisfactory adjust
ment of the wage question.
And the operators themselves must dis
close the facts about their business without
resort!ng to the courts to secure injunctions
against an inquiry into the cost Of pro.
ducing and selling coal.
Such commission as the President
should appoint, backed by the popular SEN
timcnt of the whole country. could force the
facts from those who know them, and it
could find an equitable verdict, the terms Of
which neither the operators nor the miners
would dare reject
Every day OF delay in appointing the com.
mission delays the opening of the mines
And II IS morally certain that If the COM
mission were appointed at once. with a
guarantee to the miners that It would secure
fair play for them, they would resume work
with little delay and keep at work until the
Investigation was completed and until the
new wage scale was fixed, whatever that
scale might be.
The miners are men like the rest Of us
But they know more about the details of the
production of coal than those not in he
business. They are insisting that they are
entitled TO larger share than they are now
getting of the excessive price which the
operators are and have been charging for
coal. They are insisting also that the labor
cost Of coal is one Of the smallest items in
the cost of production. But the rest Of US
do not know whether it is true or nor
The trouble cannot be settled by waiting
for something to happen. 1t can be settled
only by making things happen by coming
to grips with the problem and by a de.
tcrmined purpose TO compel the dsputants
to recognize the force of higher power
than their own obstInacy.
The President has power enough to do
all this and he has back Of him the hearty
sunnort of the publlc nj larpp which iS