The Bismarck tribune., 1922-04-01
Gompers Urges Sympathy Of
Public For Miners
BY SAMUEL GOMPERS
President, American Federation OF
Labor, te i.

! LHDOrs ESaE#l tta.
| I am asked to say for The Tribune
what the cessation of work. in the coal
mines means for all concerned.
Let me try to set forth briefly some
vital facts.
The stoppage of work is due to just
one cause. In the agreemeL. -e-
tween mine owners and miners, now
expired, there is a clause binding both
parties to confer to negotiate a new
agreement to replace the old one.
The miners went to every possible
length to keep that pledge. They
sought to bring about the conference
for which provision had wisely been
made.
The mine owners absolutely re-
fused to enter into conference at any
time. They made impossible the re-
newal Of the agreement and therefore
they made necessary and unavoidable
the cessation of work. The blame for
stopping the mining of coal is square.
ly and entirely upon the shoulders
of the mine owners and their Wall
Street masters. v
I can recall no other reputation
OF a pledge so disgraceful, 50 dishon-
orable as this.
What 1t Means
| What the stoppage of work will
mean is for the future to show. For
the miners it may mean much hard
| ship. 1t is sure to mean hardship for
many thousands Of them. But the
workers have always been ready and
anxious to, pay the price for prin-
ciple. ds>i. n ysr.~ " J..
own game, 'for they have, made, it.
What they expect is not known to
labor Doubtless they expect to reap
a harvest in inflated prices for coa,
now above ground We must accept
their reputation Of their pledge as
the key to their morals in whatever
they do as a consequence OF and
sequel to that reputation. "
There can be no doubt but that the
nine owners deliberately forced the
3tcppage Of work in the hope of
making great financial gain. Gorged
With enormous profits, they still have
appetite for more.
What OF Public!
What about the general 'pWJic?
| will be asked. In this case the public
will be composed OF those who are not
| miners, nor yet mine owners nor in,
vestors in mining stock. But those
who compose the public-a term Of
ten misused-are men and women,
| with understanding and with ccn-
sciences. Right and wrong mean to
them what right and wrong must al
ways mean to justice-loving people.
There may be Inconvenience be-
cause of what the mine owners have
done. The miners, not the cause o,
that inconvenience, may with good
grace ask that those not in the strug-
gle at least give the weight OF their
moral support to the cause OF right
and justice and freedom.
Moral Support Needed
In this struggle we have the au'
! ocracy of the coal industry, order
| ag with the abandon OF mad mon
,rchs. On the other hand we have
he miners, always prey to a money,
ladc chaos in the industry, always
arning little more than a bare sub
..Stence and many times not that.
/ 1t is fairly question between the
autocrats ana the people the. hand
,f1l who have might ana the many
who work and who ask only the
chance to work and to have some eff
f?ctive voice in determining decent
wages and conditions under which tC
give their essential service to society
There can be but one place for the
| r>oral force of civilization in strpg-
g,a such as this.