Evening star., 1922-04-09
MINERS OFFICIALS
SCORED At HEARING
Former Union President Says
Workers "Kept Their Word''
in Earlier Days.
SEES STRIKE BREAKDOWN
Rank and File Will Not Long Sup
port Leaders Under Present
Conditions, He Declares.


The administrations determination
not to use federal troops in the coal
strike unless all state agencies fail
in preserving order was set forth
clearly yesterday after conference
between President Harding and Secre-
tary Weeks. A request for troops
from the Governor of New Mexico was
fla tly denied.
The decision left the House labor
committee as the only federal agency
attempting to deal with the strike
and although it continued its hear
ings during the day there was no
indication that the mass of testi-
mony taken would lead to action in
the near future. Yesterdays contri-
button to the committee record was
statement by Phil H. Penna, a former
miners union official and now an op
orator. blaming the present crisis on
failure of the men to keep their con-
tracts.
A prediction that the strike soon
will collapse without pressure from
the government or any other outside
agency was made before the House
committee by Mr.. Penna, who de-
clared the rank and file of the union
would not long continue to support
their leaders under present condi-
tions. He asserted that the union Of
f1cialS had pursued a course which
had made the contract with the or
ganization "valueless."
Used to Keep Word.
Once president of the United Mine
Workers of America and now Secre-
tary of the Indiana Coal Operators As
Sociation, Mr.. Penna told the commit
tee he had seen and understood both
sides of the picture. The unions in
former days. he said, kept their word,
but under present leadership they
did not hesitate to break contracts.
In the bituminous fields the strike
came, he asserted. mot because the
operators would not meet the miners.
but because some of the operators
would not meet the union in the
group the union demanded"
1t was hopeless" Mr. Penna told
Chairman Nolan. when the latter en-
phasiZed the desire to get a strike
TENS of interstate negotiations in the
central competitive fields. which have
been made the basis of former ma
tional wage agreements. 80 long as
Ohio and Pittsburgh operators stay
OUT He buttressed his accusation
that the miners union no longer kept
its contracts by introducing the rec
ord "of 700 strikes in Indiana since
1920 during the life of the last wage
contract
With present-day officers of the
United Mine Workers in the room, Mr..
Penna stood on his feet and charged
that the union was now pervaded
with a spirit of to hell with the
operators which didn't exist in my
time The strikes came. he said,
troll their men, and l am charitable
when l put that construction upon
their situation
I've never advocated the reduction
of wages but once in my life" he eX-
claimed. but that time is-now,'
Representative London, socialist.
New York, asked Mr.. Penna what
should be done to get regular instead
of intermittent employment for mi
ners. and Mr.. Penna. first expressing
his opinion that the industry was
mot so seasonal as some Others
declared:
Would Get Wages Down.
"The only way 1 know is to get
tie wages down to the level and the
conditions as disagreeable in our in
dustry as they are in others, because
as the situation is now, a man who
once can get into the mines never
leaves them"
In cross-examination. Mr.. Penna
told Chairman Nolan and other mem
bers of the committee he would tell
them privately" some reasons why
the operators did not intend to go
into interstate conference, though he
could not make them public.
I am not anticipating a long
strike he declared Thine will soon
come when the mine workers officers
Will have to take a vote on the one
question at issue, which is: Will you
take wage reduction?' This is an
officers strike, pure and simple The
men, in my opinion. would announce
a Willingness to take a cut"
Failing another interstate confer
ence over wages, he said, 1.-The next
best thing would be to drop back to
state conferences" or 'individual
contracts between Individual oper-
ators and their employees"
Chairman Nolan gave out a tele-
gram received from the Central and
Northern Ohio Coal Operators Associ-
alton. saying that its members would
be glad to try and end the coal
strike by Joint meeting with the
miners as the committee had sug-
SeSted, If 1t were possible.
The operators in the territory, how
ever, wanted assurances from the De-
partment of Justice, the message said,
that they would not be prosecuted for
violation of antitrust laws in such
meeting. They asked, Are we as
sured that the indictments at Indian
apoiis are quashed" referring to
pending antitrust law prosecutions
in which some of the central field op-
orators are involved.