The Bismarck tribune., 1922-04-01
Forced On Us In Effort To
Crush UniOn-LeWis
BY JOHN L. LEWIS
President, United Mine Workers Of
America


for suspension of work by the unior
coal miners of the country.
We have done everything humanly
possible to avoid the suspension. Fol
many weeks we have fought hard tt
induce the coal operators to keep faitf
with us and with the government ant
meet us in joint conference, SO tha
a new wage and working agreemen
might be made that would maintail
industrial peace and prevent any in
convenience to the public.
Two years ago the operators solemn
ly agreed that they would meet witt
us before April i. They pledged theil
word as business men. They signed
that agreement in writing in New
York. It was a pledge as binding as
any bond or promissory note that any
set Of men ever signed.
Broke Agreement.
We thought they signed it in goot
faith. But now they refuse to live III
ITO their agrecment, They have refus
,ed point-blank to do as they agreed
they would do: If they were to re
fuse to pay their debts it would be nc
more dishonorable than their refusa
to keep their agreement with the min
ers.
These operators do not deny thai
they are cOntract-breakers. They only
say: "Well, what are you going to dc
about it?' .a..
In the latter part Of last December
| asked. the operators, in compliance
with their. promise, to meet with the
miners in Pittsburg to begin negotia
tions for a new agreement. Illinois
and Indiana operators and a part o1
the Ohio group accepted the invita-
ton, but the operators Of the Pitts
burg district and a part Of Ohio re
fused. They merely said they had de-
cided not to keep their word.
They scrapped their agreement, just
as the kaiser scrapped his treaties
with other nations. And; like the kais
er they started in to destroy the othe,
party to the. agreement. The inva
sion of Belgium by the kaiser was nc
more ruthless than the invasion of the
miners union by these Pittsburg ant
Ohio operators.
Scek to Break Union.
They proposed to wreck the union
as the kaiser wrecked Belgium ant
northern france. Suffering and star
vation of coal miners and their famil
les became Of no greater consequence
to them than the suffering Of the Bel
.sian and French people.
It is, perhaps, the most notorious
md unpardona BILE case Of contract:
breaking and disregard for business
honor that the country has ever seen
When the Pittsburg and Ohio oper
tors refused TO meet with the miners
the Pittsburg meeting was necessarily
Cancelled. Later, l issued a second cal
for meeting, thinking that perhaps
these men would yet decide to live III
to their promises. But they refused
again. Il oiG
Refused v. S. Request.
So fragrant and indefensible was
tneir action that President Harding
denounced it and directed Secretary
Of Labor Davis to call on the opera
tors to keep their word. But they re-
fused even the government.
Instead, they asked the government
to keep its hands off andiallow the Goa
companies td make their fight for thu
destruction of, the miners'yunion. II
other words, these coal r, companie!
have arbitrarily placed themselve!
above the government itself and have
politely told the government to g
There was nothing left for the min
ers to. do but to quit work until thu
question of what their wages shall b.
is determined. We are not asking TO-
higher wages in the bituminous Goa
industry
Scale Agreement.
Our men did not make living las
year and they are not yet making ;
living, but they are willing to take th'
chance with the present wage seal
for the next two years, in the hop'
that there will be atbusiness a reviva
that will afford them rreasonabl!
steady employment and an opportunit.
to earn living for their families. Thu
miners are not quitting work because
they want to quit. They want tt
work. But the operators are deter
mined that they shall.no work excep
at starvation wages, and that the un
ion shall be destroyed so as to depriv
the men of all means of protection.
Want Public to Know.
We want the public to know all tn
facts, because we know that the pub
lie will then place the blame where
belongs. The operators started in dc
liberately to compel the miners t
strike.
They have declared that all Goa
miners shall work for the same mis-
erable rate of starvation wages tina
are paid to the poor helpless in tn
non-union filds Of West Virginia an
Alabama. They are seeking to rcduc
the level of American citizenship ,
cutting down the earning capacity o
these workers. But the union miner
will not stand for it. Nor would an
other American citizen stand for it.
Up. Not Down.
Why not work to bring the conditio
of these non-union men up to the leve
of the organized fields. instead OF drag
ging the organized fields down to tn
degraded level of the non-union fields
The United Mine Workers of Amer
lea face this struggle with the firm be
lief that the American public realize
they are making fight for the mail
tenance of justice in the coal industr
and for the preservation of mora
standard in business We believe hus