The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-13
Frederick T askin' S Letter
WHO WON THE COAL STRIKE

emit miners or strike-breaker,
There was no attempt to break IN
strike and there was no indepeaa.
ent or non-union production ia
meet or partially to meet the de.
mand from consumers.
Only One Serious Outbreak.
For the most part there was IN.
tie lawlessness during the striks
The one black blot was the Herrin
massacre, which is not to be lis
cussed now that the affair is before
the grand jury. There were soma
unseemly demonstrations in Penn.
sylvania, but nothing happened TINT
was serious unless it be held with
the strikers that their rights Of
free speech and free assemblaee
we're invaded and that that ia
serious matter. In any event, il ia
not to be forgotten that almost !
every coal mine would be ruined
within a comparatively short pe..
iod Of time unless the pumps were
kept working and certain other
things done regularly, and that the
striking miners did in every in.
stance leave enough men ON the iob
to preserve the coal properties. on
course, in the long run it was to
their interest to do this, but it was
equally to the interest of the
operators, so the miners should be
given due credit.
When the strike in the bitumin.
Gus field was called off, or rather
when the bituminous miners be-
gan to return to work, it was as the
result of an agreement with certain
of the operators that the old wage
scale and working agreement
should be continued until March 81
next and that the check-off system
also should continue where it had
prevailed.
In the anthracite fields the old
agreement is resumed and will be
continued until Aug. 81 next
In neither field is there wage
reduction or a wage increase. The
bituminous miners did not ask for
more pay and it is well known that
they would have been glad to have
accepted a reduction of only 10 or
Is per cent last March had the
matter been settled then, and IL
they had not been asked to yield on
other points which they regarded
as vital to their organization and
to their individual interests. They
may be said to have won a victory,
therefore, insofar as wages are con-
cerned, although of course they lost
a tremendous amount of money
during the months they were idle
The anthracite miners asked for
wage increase and they do not get
it, so it may be claimed with some
justice that they lost their strike
insofar as the wage issue was con-
cerned. However, there is every
reason to believe that they would
have been glad to renew their wage
agreement last March if the opera
tors could have brought themselves
to the point of submitting such ,
proposition. AS it is the minert
will have the old wage rate tol
practically whole year from tn
| close of the strike.
| The operators, of course, hav
realized good prices on the Goa
stocks on hand at the time of III
strike, and particularly in tn
bituminous fields, they will nov
get prices such as never woul
have obtained if there had bee
no cessation of production. Tn
miners will have work at full time
and possibly at overtime. for tn
next year at least, whereas other
wise they would not have average
more than three or four days
week. Conditions in an indlstr
that was over-mined and over
manned have been stabilized to
} certain extent, and steps have beel
taken looking to an investigation
, and reforms that may prove Of far
, reaching benefit to all concerned
In view of all this some observ
, ers may conclude that it could nc
be said with fairness that either th
: miners or the operators won tn
, strike. There are so many diffel
, ent angles to the question that it
: difficult to evaluate the result
: and say that the balance is on Dc
side or the other.
: One thing is certain, howevc
t We may not know who won II
, coal strike, but we may be sure tn;
e the public lost it. If the publ
5 does not know this already, in vie
e of empty coal bins and mountir
9 coal prices, it will know it befo1
= the winter is over.