The Connecticut labor news., 1923-09-22
GOV. PINCHOT ACTED ON OWN INITIATIVE
 IN PROPOSING PLAN ENDING COAL STRIKE

By International Labor News Service
 Washington, D. C., Sept. 22,-Politi- cal circles are much stirred over the controversy as to how Gov. Pinchot of Pennsylvania came into the coal sit- uation.
 Some say he came in at the invitation of President Coolidge. Others say he came in on his own hook
 International Labor News Service is in position to state the facts. Gov Plnchot came into the coal situation of his own volition and not in any sense as the agent of the White House
 He had refrained from acting openly and earlier, 1t may be said, so as not to embarrass the national administration in any effort it might have been contem- plating.
 The governors first act was to write a letter to the President. When the Atlantic City conference broke up the governor telephoned to the White House asking for an interview The inter view was arranged and Gov Pinchot hurried to Washington. His object was to learn whether the administration at Washington had further plans and to ascertain whether intervention on his own part would disarrange federal plans Ii there were any.
 FOUND COOLIDGE HAD NO PLAN
 At the White House Gov. Pinchot learned that the President had no plans and that the field was clear The gov ernor came into the situation on his own initiative and there is every indi- cation that the President was exceeding ly glad to have the problem thus taken off his hands
 Gov. Pinchot had been preparing for i action for some time before he visited the White House He had been gather | ing statistics and formulating a plan for bringing miners and mine owners to- gether. He had discussed the question with many persons and he had inform ed representatives of both sides of his probable course of action He had also sought to learn whether action on his part would be agreeable. It was known to representatives of the miners that the governor intended to act nearly a week before his first open step was taken.
 It IS an interesting fact that many officials in the federal government had centered their efforts on the question of substitute for anthracite They seemed to accept an anthracite strike as certainty and to bend their efforts toward promoting the idea of sub stitute for that fuel Strange1y-or SO 1t seems, at any rate-almost all off, c1als talk of substitute hinged on bi- luminous coal. The strength of the bitum1nous coal interest was striking. There are some twenty-two substitutes for anthracite coal, chief of which are oil and electricity, but official circles confined themselves to bituminous coal. The conference of eastern governors, held just prior to the breaking up of the Atlantic City conference, also join ed the chorus for bituminous coal
 UNION FOES BEHIND AGITATION
 The success of Gov Pinclot's eff forts had ruined the hopes of the bitu- minous producers, but their hopes ran high for a time It IS interesting to note that the bituminous interests that were behind the agitation were chiefly Mine Workers of America have re- peatedly called attention to the situa- ton and 1t is not improbable that po1i- tic1ans III some quarters may be a long time explaining away what some be- heve to have been an alliance between them and non-union interests for fresh onslaught on the miners union.
 The Pinchot conference ruined the non-unon bitu1ninous scheme and the gallant action of the miners union made certain the continued production of anthracite coal during the coming winter season. The governor of Penn sylvania. in what he dd, acted on his own initiative and not as the messenger or representative of anyone else.