Evening star., 1922-03-24
MINER INSURGENTS
WILL JOIN STRIKE
CONTINUED from First Pase.)

ready to strike as long as they have
=, The meeting Of the miners leaders
! in this city. which Is the headquarters
! of the big four rail brotherhoods.
was declared by the miners to have
(. no connection with, the alliance Of
railroad men and miners to oppose
,, wage reductions, but Warren 3. Stone,
president Of the Brotherhood of Loco
motive Engineers. arranged today Tor
q later conference with Mr.. Lewis.
This city was selected for the policy
! said. because OF it's accessibility. es-
pecially to many Of the union chief 8
Offices who came here from New York.
Great Lakes Trade Affected.
Mine owners who live here ex-
pressed hopes that Lewis and Far
rinston would reach an agreement.
They claim that the future OF the coal
trade Of the great lakes Is affected by
the controversy.
For years Ohio and Pennsylvania
operators have shipped annually on
an average of 2o.0e0,oeo tons Of coal.
| to the northwest. They point out
| that should the Illinois miners and
operators reach a separate agreement.
the Illinois mine owners would have
| the advantage over those OF this sec
ton In furnishing fuel to the north
west.
The Illinois operators have ex-
! pressed their willingness to negotiate
| an agreement.
Between 50 and 60 per cent of the
coal shipped up the lakes Is mined in
eastern Ohio and western Pennsylva-
MIA, while the remainder comes from,
| other districts In these states. Ken
| lucky and West Virginia. OF that
| mined in eastern Ohio so per cent
goes into the lake trade.
The policy committee was expected
| to arrange affairs in such shape that
| the strike, once it started, would run
automatically. Steps also were to be
| taken. it was understood, which will
make it unnecessary for the interna-
tional officials to send out orders from
Indianapolis.
( PRESIDENT URGED TO ACT.
President Harding has been asked
by the Peoples Reconstruction League.
through it's executive secretary, Benja-
| min c. Marsh. to have the government
take over the coal mines and operate
them in case of a nationwide mine
strike
A letter was sent to the President
today by the league, in which 1t as
SSTIS lAAI Ine 1InN1u0nC0 OF u COIL
strike demands immediate action by
the administration to compel the prof.
teering coal operators to pay fair
wages to all operatives"
Tho letter to the President requests
the government Ito take over the coal
! mines under implied authority II the
coal strike occurs. and to pay decent
wages to the miners" The President
Is reminded in tho letter that the
Newton-kenyon bill, now pending be-
fore Congress. empowers the President,
when the Federal. Trades Commission
certifies a public emergency exists, to
take over any or all coal mines and to
operate them, and suggests that the
President in person, request Congress
Immediately to enact the Newton
Kenyon bill.
Mr. Harding and his cabinet were
urged In a telegram taken to the
White House today by Representative
Upshaw, democrat Georgia, to take
action to compel mine operators to
meet the miners in a wage confer
ence before the present contract ex-
pires on March 81. or. in event of re-
fusal OF the operators to do so. for
the government to take over the
mines and operate them until the
operators agree to such = conference.
The telegram was from E. L. Quinn
Of the Atlanta (Ga) Federation OF
Trades. and Mr.. Upshaw requested
that the matter be brought before
the cabinet at its meeting today.