Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-05
UNABLE TO prove !.
MELLON IS BIASED
Unions Merely Show That s.o.
retary Has Big Coal Com.
pany Holdings
STRIKE POLICY FAIR.MINDen
BY CLINTON w. GILBERT

stan Correspondent Evening Pub,,e vlss.,
Copyright. 1888. By Public Ledger Cons :
Washington. Aug. 5.--In pursuance
Of the labor union attacks upon s.c. <
retary Mellon No the man respon,,b,.
for protraction Of the strikes, "A.
Bureau Of Applied Economies. which /,
Independent Of the labor unions. but /,
often employed by them. has made pub.
lie n report on Mr.. MELONS, fnanci,,
connections. .
The facts are that the Mellon bank
of Pittsburgh and the banks ASSOCIATED
with it form what 10 probably the mos
powerful financial group in the United
States outside Of New York. q
Mr.. Mellon himself Is interested "a
coal, having been director of the Pith.
burgh Coal Company, the Monongah.h
River Consolidated Coal and Coke Com
pany. the Pittsburgh By. product Coh
Company, the Minnesota BY .producs
Coke Company, the seaboard By.
product Coke Company, the New Yort
and Cleveland Gas Coal Company. Ia
is also connected with the Hopper
Company, making and leasing by.prod.
uct ovens and plants.
He is also deeply interested in rail.
way equipment business, having been
director Of the Baltimore Car and
Foundry Company, the Butler Bolt aad
Rivet Company. the Butler Car Wheel
Company, the Forged Steel Wheel
Company, tho Middletown Car Com.
pany, the American Locomotive Com.
pany, the Standard Steel Car Company,
the Steel Car Forge Company, II
Pittsburgh Model Engine Company anl
the Verona Steel Castings Company.
Brother Now Represents Him
His brother. Richard Mellon. repre-.
sents the Mellon interests in these d..
rcctorates which the Secretary formerly
held.
Members Of the Mellon financial
group are closely related to the coal
and railroad group Of Western Penn.
sylvania, who, as President Harding
said in the early history Of the coal
strike, opposed negotiations looking to
settlement. They tie in with the
United States Steel Corporation. the
Norfolk and Western Railway Com.
pany and the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company. In general, It may be said
that his financial connections are with
the strongest advocates Of the open.
shop movement.
But unless these connections are
damning. It is impossible to make out
the union case that the Secretary Of
the Treasury has been responsible for
keeping the strike going. The I'm.
preston that he has made upon Wash.
ton is that OF remarkably fair minded
man. who, whatever his relations to The
business world, in public Office would
approach issues chiefly with regard h
tho public interest.
What Is protracting the strike Is that
there has been n growing determinaton
to fight out the issue presented by the
powerful nation wide railroad and mine
organizations. Each time a strike hal
been threatened for several years a com.
promise has been effected and II has
been accepted with the feeling that
contest was inevitable In the end.
Hartling's Policy Is Neutrality
That contest has come. The Ad.
-minir., ration for the first time has been
powerl, y to effect a compromise. Even
If Mr.. MELONS, sympathies IRE with
capital in these -wo strikes. as seems
probable enough, his influence ~
either not been exerted or has noA
been sufficient to make the Administ1.
tion take sides in the contest.
1t has been plain to all observers
here that President Harding has striven
to maintain neutrality In the disputes.
He has sought to bring both parties
together. The terms that he Offered
were so favorable to labor in the rail.
road strike that they were accepted BY
the shopmen and rejected by the rail.
roads.
The terms that he offered to the
miners included return to work, dur.
ing an inquiry, at their old rates OF
pay and with their national agreements
intact. Arbitration under these terms
was rejected by both sides.
The Cabinet has not Deen Of one
mind on the policy to be pursued BY the
Administration after the rejection OF
arbitration by both sides in the mine
strike. 1t Is understood that Secre.
tary Hoover with some support among
his colleagues favored the taking over
and operation by the Government Of
enough mines to supply coal to meet
existing needs.
Shrinks from Extreme
The gossip Is that Secretary Mellon
favored the policy adopted by Mr..
Harding of giving the operators 4
chance to show whether they could
resume production or not If assured
of protection. The taking over OF the
mines would have been more agreeable
to organized labor than the policy
adopted.
But the ruling consideration IN
choosing the course adopted seems 70
have been desire to avoid the din
cultics and complications which Gov
ernment operation even for n temporary
purpose would involve. Only in war
has this Government ever taken SUCH
q step.
The natural thing to do was 70
avoid this issue as long as possible
and trust that the strike would os
solved by the operators succeeding ~
getting out coal by their agreeing Win
their men when 1t was demonstrates