Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-04-09
All State Agencies Must Fail
in Preserving Order Be-
fore the Government viii
Resort to Force,
MECHEM'S REQUEST IS
REJECTED BY WEEKS
Secretary Of War FlatIy De-
nieS New Mexico Govern
or'S Plea for Outside Aid
in Gallup District,

Washington. Aprilf S.--The ad
lministration' determination not to
iuse federal troous in the coai strike
iunless all state agencies fail IN pre-
Serving order was set forth clearly
to-day after conference between
| President Harding and Secretary
! Weeks. A request for troops frJm
1.-THE governor of New MAs!co was
iflatly denied.
The decision left the house labor
committee as the only federal
agency attempting to deal with the
strike and although it continued
Its hearings during the day there
was no indication that the mass OF
| testimony taken would lead to
faction in the near future.
Blamcs Crisis on Men.
| Todays contribution to the COM
lmittee record was a statement by
Phil III. Penna, a former miners
IuniOn official and now an operator,
blaming the present crisis on fall
lure of the men to keep their con-
tracts.
! AS a public announcement of the
administrations hands off policy
| so far as use of federal troops are
concerned. Secretary Weeks r1ude
public after his visit to the White
! House q telegram to Governor Me-
chem of New Mexico replying to
an appeal for help in handling the
situation in his state.
"Unlcss disorder develops
to a point where state authori-
! ties are unable to preserve
| order" said the message, fed
eral troops cannot be used in
connection with the coal
strike"
Despite this attitude. however, 1.
! is known that the administration is
watching developments in the strike
closely and will not be unprepafed
should situation arise which in
the presidents opinion warrants
war department Interference. Tho
department Of justice also is keep
ling advised of conditions although
so far it, too, has stood " its an
lnounced purpose OF non-interyea-
tion.
Collapse Predicted.
A prediction TIA he strike soon
will collapse without pressure
from the government or any other
outside agency, was made before
the house committee by Mr.. Penna,
who declared the rank and file of
lthe union would not long continue
to support their leaders under pres
ent conditions. He asserted that
the union officials had pursued a
system which had made the con-
tract with the organization value
less.
Once president Of the United
Mine Workers of America. and now
secretary of the Indiana Coal Ope-
rators' association. Mr. Penna told
the committee he had seen and un- (.
derstood both sides of the picture.
The unions in former davs. he said.
Kept their word. but under present
leadership they did not hesitate to
break contracts. In the bitumlnous
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 un-
ion demands"
It was "honeless Mr.. Penna
told Chairman Nolan when the lat
ter emphasized the desire to get n
like settlement, "to try out again
the system of interstate negotia-
tions in the central competitive
field" which have been made the
basis Of former national wage
agreements, 80 long as Ohio and
Pittsburgh operators stay out"
Introduces Record.
He buttressed his accusation' that
the miners union no longer kept
it's contracts. by introducing the
record "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
| ArnntinlInn ON Ia np 'rMn