Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-08-11
Editorial Comment
King Goals Fiddlers
New York Tribunel

The United States Coal Commits
sion is quite justified in the spirit
of Indignation which is manifested
in its supplementary report. The
public is indeed unwilling. as it
says, ITO tolerate having product
upon which its very life depends
made plaything of militant group
action" That trenchant phrase
exactly describes the situation.
Neither operators nor miners have
addressed themselves to the task of
seriousness which so momcntous a
matter merits. Old King Cole
called for his fiddlers three" The
two parties named may be content to
play the part of two of the fiddlers.
That seems to be all they arc in
clned to do. But the public is in
no mood for accepting the third
fiddler'S part.
= 1t was to be expected that the
commission should urge first a solu-
ton of the problem through an
amicable getting together of the
operators and the miners, the for
nation by the former of an organ
ization comparable with that of the
latter and the adoption of Il bust
ness-lille plan of cooperation both
for their mutual benefit and for the
protection of the public from an
noyancc. eXtortion and disaster.
That is the true way out, and it will
be discreditablc to one or both of
the contcsting parties if it is not
promptly followed. Since the
Atlantic City conference was brought
to a barren end by the injection, of
the check off issue the public has
had ground for doubling whether
either side greatly cared whether a
settlement was effected or not: they
both seemed 50 ready to go back TO
futile fiddling.
But the public does care and has
a right to care that settlement
shall be made so that there will be
an abundant supply of anthracite
coal during the coming winter The
commission is we'll within bounds in
saying that the public has become
rightly eXasperated" at the manner
in which it's vital interests are i'm
periled. 1t has a right TO expect
that something effective will be done
to savo it from what the commission
describes as national disaster.
What is needed is action that will be
effective within thirty days. That
can, of course, be taken by the
operators and miners. if they will.
If they will not there remains con-
sideration of what extraordinary
powers may be exercised by the
government TO avert widespread
disaster. The ancient principle
must still be valid. Salus populi su-
prema lex. 1t would be a negation
of the efficiency of republican gov
eminent to say that there was no
possible way of saving us from a
coalless winter.
1t would have been more reassur-
ing to the public had the commission
now faced this possibility and recon-
mended some effective means of
dealing with such situation
through emergency legislation, to
be applied by the President in case
of the failure of all else. Theodore
Roosevelt score of years ago dealt
successfully with such crisis with
out any enabling legislation through
the sheer force of his dynamic
personality. But. admirable as his
achievement was, under our gov
eminent of laws, not men," it is al
ways preferable to have specific
legal sanction for every, admins
trative act. That the people would
approve heartily law empowering
effective action by the President in
an extreme emergency which would
rarely and which, we should hope.
would never occur. there can he no
shadow of a doubt. The courts
could scarcely deny the competence
of the government thus to save the
lives of the people in a great crisis.