The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-07-28
PRESIDENT W. HARDING
CONTINUED From Page Onel

refer. the government asked the
mine workers to resume their acti-
vities, In response to a manifest
public need, at precisely the same
wages and under precisely the same
working conditions as those under
which they had been working con-
tentedly 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 country and cherish its secur-
ity, and believe in serving the com :
mon welfare, to come to the relief
of the mining situation, and avoid
suffering, privation and paralysis.
asked the governors Of the coal
mining states to invite mine opera :
tors and mine workers to resume
their activities, and to promise that
to which every man is entitled,
namely, protection in his lawful pur-
This protection applies alike to
the men on strike who observe the
law and make no lawless interior
ence 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.
If you mean to challenge the right
eousness of free mem to be pro-
tected in their lawful pursuits
against interference and violence,
will be glad to join you in submit
ting that question to the decision
of the American people. "a.
.Tt will interest You to know
- hA a M q
action being an expression of the
preference of the capitalistic class,
it has been quite as much opposed
by those who speak for employers
as it is by you and your associ-
ates. Government undertakes to
represent neither class alone, and
is opposed to all conflict among
classes, and disputes the right OF
any group or class, organized or
unorganized, to imperil American
welfare. Government speaks only
for the American people as a whole
and the common good OF all It's
citizenship.
ment has done or attempted to do
during the past year and half
to relieve the American people OF
the burdens of re- adjustment and
to rell6Ve laDOT ITOIu LuS HdiOohiPS
of unemployment, know your at
tempted appeal to American preJu-
dice will fan upon deaf ears: 1t is
ungrateful and it is untruthful.
IF you are the believer in peace
and harmony and the right of JUS
tice. which you would have believ-
ed. I 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
determining the merits of the dis.
pute betw cen coal miners and coal
operators, and ] invite you to urge
the striking railway workmen to
ACCEPT the decision of the American
Railway Labor board, acting under
authority of the law, which must be
supreme and return to work under
that decision, until you and l, and
everyone else interested in Amerl-
can welfare, may join in asking the
Railway Labor board to give re-.
hearing on any question concerning
which. there is reasonable doubt
about the correctness or the justice
of the decision made. These. are
the wages of peace, these are the
requirements of enlightened civil
zation, these are the things expect;
ed by our government Of its loyal
and abiding citizenship. Warran u.
Harding