Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-04
ORDER IN THE COAL STRIKE;
A GOOD SIDE OF A BAD THING
Let Us Hope That Al the Various In.
terests Concerned VIII Continue to
Maintain Their Self. Control

IT IS relief 10 observe that, as the coal
4 strike progresses to what ordinarily is
known as 'the trouble phase" the fedora
ticu leaders and the police in the affected
areas are managing to avoid many Of the
conspicuous mistakes which led in the past
to violence and outrages Of various sorts.
The lessons of the steel strike seem to have
had sobering effect upon county officials,
who are not 80 ready as they were in the
Pittsburgh region to experiment clumsily
with repressive and oppressive measures.
The state police have acted thus far with
admirable restraint even in places where
disturbances have occurred. There is an
apparent general desire among local officials
to stick within the limits Of their authority.
A conference held yesterday at Uniontown
BY Sheriff Shaw, of Fayettc County, and
William Feeney, union leader, ended with
pledge of the unions rigldly to police their
own meetings and to pcnalize or eject any
one who causes or suggests trouble OF any
sort. This is something new In the technique
OF labor demonstrations.
Sheriff Shaw rescindcd an order issued
to prevent strikers assemblages after one Of
them had led to clash between miners and
the police. Mr.. Feeney made an address to
the miners and said that each individual
union man was to be held responsible for
trouble in which he participated.
The strike leaders have been pleading for
peace. Now they demand peace among their
followers.
Operators and their committees hold meet.
ings and because they are orderly no one
interferes with them. But It happens that
miners are in vastly greater numbers than
operators and that any meeting they hold
becomes naturally and inevitably mass.
meeting.
In the early days of coal miners unions
meetings Of strikers were frequently prelmi-
nary to unruly demonstrations or general
disorder, with marches on the breakers. But
with better organization and cleverer leader.
ship strikers meetings have become more
apd more orderly.
In Ohio during the steel strike no riots
were reported. It is said there were no
fights between strikers and police because
no attempt at the suppression of union meet.
ines was made. Immediately over the line
in Pennsylvania. where petty local officials
were permitted to have their own way and
where the customary "ban" was put on
strikers meetings, trouble was continuous
and few persons were killed.
Members of the unions found public halls
closed to them. And they we're not per-
mitted to hold meetings in the open.
Oddly enough. this sort of attitude was
not due to any theory clearly formulated by
State or local authorities. 1t resulted from
the feeling, still prevalent in some quarters,
that citizens of foreign birth or parentage-
who are numerous in the coal and steel coun.
tries-are not entitled to the rights of citi.
zenship defined in the Constitution.
This belief, translated into action. did not
settle the issues involved in the steel strike.
II merely postponed n settlement and sub.
stitsted allegiance to the I. W. W. for al
legiance to the Federation of Labor in great
masses of workingmen in Western Penn.
sylvania.
The preservation of self. control by nil
people directly concerned with labor
demonstration as widespread as the coal
strike is imperatively necessary for hum
dred reasons. Ignorance and excitement
rather than a wish to be unfair or lawles.
lead to extra.legal operating methods
among policemen and deputy sheriffs in
strike areas. And some of the wild talk
and wilder action charged against individual
strikers in cases like this might be traced
to the irritations Of an empty stomach rather
than to any desire to destroy governments
or seize private property. 1t is pathetically
easy to inHame n crowd of people who have
had no breakfast.
In that simple fact is reflected the real
danger of every hard fought and widespread
strike. lr isn't pleasant now to see sit
uation which ought TO be viewed in the full
light of scientific and humane reasoning
being dragged slowly out to an inconclusivc
and temporary end by methods of attrition
involving 100000 mine workers and their
families. There ought toi be better way out
OF the difficulty, though the agencies of
Government appointed to discover them are
still cropping in the dark.