The New York herald., 1922-07-19
The Command of thePresident of
the United States to Dig Coal.

When President HARDING invites
the -bituminous mine owners whose
plants are now shut down by strikes
in the circumstances is equivalent to
command. They will operate the
mines or the national Government
will operate them.
And the command of the President
of the United. States to dig coal can
be obeyed and will be obeyed if
American government, Federal. State
and local, does its part. If the miners
that go to work are protected, fully
protected, as it is their sacred right
to be protected, and as it is the
bounden duty of government to pro-
tect them, many of the mines will OPP
crate. Not all. All are not needed.
If they were all operating full capac-
ity on the basis of the Presidents
arbitration plan they could not sell
the coal that they got out, even on
the heels of the long strike. They
could not, after short time, sell
half the coal they could get out.
The non-union mines already TAX
ing care of nearly two-thirds Of the
country's soft coal needs, all that is
required of the remaining mines, after
the first rush to fill depleted store
yards and bins. is merely enough to
take care of the other third. To sup
ply this will be nothing at all for the
great mines and groups of mines
now shut down 1t will be a small
task for merely fraction of them
provided they are free to operate and
American government makes it its
first business, as it is its highest
duty, to see both that mines are free
to operate and that miners are safe
to work in them.
Thousands of union miners, as THE
New YORK HERALD has explained be-
fore, are now at work six days a
week in the operating non-union
mines despite the strike orders. De-
spite the strike orders thousands
more will go to work in the mines
that resume operations-wil go to
work if the mines and the miners
get the protection to which they are
entitled under the laws of the coun-
try.
II all the officers of government,
Federal, State and local were like
Sheriff DUvAL who, facing odds of
forty to one, defended mine workers
from mob vengeance and brute vio-
lence, driving off the mob and giving
his life in the resistance to lawless-
ness and in the defence of those un-
der his protection--if all peace Off
GERS were Sheriff Duvals of Brooke
county, West Virginia, mob anarch.
ism would go out Of business in this
country within forty-eight hours
Ample coal for everybody would be
coming out now.
But if the type of craven and guilty
law officers that is accountable for
the unspeakable butchery and the
everlasting disgrace of Herrin, Hi
nois, were to obtain in the communi.
ties where coal mines resume opera
tions at the command of the Presi.
dent of the United States the mine
operators would be fatuous to begin.
II the breed of State officers, county
officers and local officers who counte
nance mob rule that prevents th'
cleaning up of a train wreck at Lo
villa, Iowa, were to afflict much-of the
country, the mine operators could no
hope to get out the coal.
II that sort of official infamy were
to--be tolerated in the coal region
generally. the mine operators woulc
do better to tell the United State
Government in the first instance t
take over the mines and dig the Goa
itself, so that American govern
ment could find no towards loophol
through which to evade the responsi
bility for holding human beings saf
in the performance Of their wor'
and the enjoyment of their liberty.
Fair Piay for a Fighting Fish.