The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-19
GOVERNMENT MUST BE UPHELD DURING
 STRIKES HARDING
President Asks For Power to Suppress LaWIessness. Right of Public Not to
 Be 0verridden
By Associated Press

made by President Harding in
 hts niersnge on the Industrial sit-
 nation Their efforts for the
 most part, although not In all.
 were seconded by democratic
 members.
 Representative MondelI of Wy
 oIning, republican House leader, within an hour after the Presi- | dent concluded delivery of hts 1 address had tcleGrnms on the
 wires to absent members of the | interstate commerce committee
 requesting them to return to
 Washington at once to begin
 work on bills to carry out the
 Presidents recommendations to
 set m an agency to purchase,
 sell and distribute coal and for creation of commission to as-
 certain the facts In the coal in- | dustry.
 Washington, August 18.-Presi- dent Harding laid the whole story of the rail and coal strikes before the American people today with a pledge that, whatever the cost, government by law will be sustained
 Summing up before a joint session of the Senate and House his efforts toward industrial peace. the Presi- dent asserted that neither employ CTS nor employees could escape re- l sponsibility for the present situation and that no small minority" would be permitted "by armed lawless- ness Conspiracy" orr "barbarity and butchery" to override the para mount interests of the public.
 eve must reassert the doc
 Urine tbnt in this republic the first obligation and first ale | glance of every citizen, high or 1 low. is to his government,D snid the President. "No matter what | clouds mny gather, no matter 1 what storms may ensue, no mat ter what hardships may attend,
 or whnt sacrifice may be neces- 1 sary, government by law must and will he sustnine0.
 s'Whcrefore, I nm resolved to
 use all the power of the < Jv-
 ernment to maintain transporta-
 tion and to sustain the rights of men to work"
 To strengthen the hand of the ad- ministration in dealing with present and future coal troubles, MT. Hard 1 ing asked for authorization of na- 1 tional agency to participate, sell and | distribute coal, and for creation of a commission to inquire into every phase of caol production. sale and l distribution"
 1 Other Agencies Armed No similar request was made for | emergency rail legi station, the Presi- i dent asserting that although the 1 railroad labor board had inadequate l authority, other agencies of she gov 1 ernment were armed with statutes to 1 prevent conspiracy against interstate 1 commerce and to insure safety in | railway operation.
 Tt is in my power" he continued, "to invoke these laws. civil and | criminal, against all offenders alike"
 One other legislative enactment. a | law to permit the federal governme ment to step in and protect aliens where state protection fails, was advocated by the chief executive as a result of what he termed 'the butchery of hu- l man beings, wrought in ma. .ness," at Herrin, III. Despite the protest of ] foreign governments whose nationals suffered in the Herrfn mine battle, he said, federal officials were powerless to take in hand the situation created by the mockery of local inquiry and l the fault of justice in Illinois"
 Members of the Senate and House received the announcements of the President with repeated salvos of ap plause and the leaders of both branches announced later that no time would be lost in putting his leg | islative recommendations into effect. Generally, the address won approba ton from all elements in Congress. although some democrat members were inclined to criticize the chief executives utterances as capable of Ia anr frt
 At the White House. 1t was indi- cated that MT. Hardings reference to invocation of existing statutes against conspiracy related to the Sherman antitrust law, under which the department of justice already has directed an investigation of the acts of some members of non striking rail unions, who walked out in the far west Officials of the administra- tion were unwilling to go into cases tonight, however, saying the Pres- idents announcement of his determi- nation to enforce the laws must speak for itself.
 Throughout his address, President Harding emphasized his desire that the government should play no favor ties as between employers and em- ployes either in efforts to end the existing strikes. or in future action against lawlessness.
 Surely" he said, "the threatening conditions must impress the Congress and the country that no body of men, whether limited in numbers and re- sponsibility for railway management or powerful in numbers and the nec- essary forces in railway operation. shall be permitted to choose a course, which so imperils public welfare. Neither organizations of employers nor workingmen's unions may escape responsibility.
 Guarantees Surrendered
 "If free men cannot toll according to their own lawful choosing, all our constitutional guarantles born of democracy are surrendered to mo- boc-..cv and the freedom of 100000 000 is surrendered to the small mi nority which would have no law"
 At the same time, the President called attention to another element which he said he believed was re- sponsible to some degree for strikes and for the difficulties of restoring industrial peace.
 T refer" said he. ito the warfare on the unions of labor. The govern ment has no sympathy or approval for this element of discord in the ranks of industry. We recognize these organizations In the law, and we must accredit them with incal- cu.able contribution to labor's up- lift"
 Wish to Return
 Discussing the coal sfrike specifi- cally. MT. Harding warned Congress that although the skies now appeared to be clearing. more trouble can be
 (Continusa on Page Two)