The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-08-17
Understanding
NEGOT|ATORS
TOL|M|T
viii Strike II Necessary, But
There Is No Flaming Dis
content Abroad.
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Continued from First Page.)
off. and would go right along with
out complaint on their present
wages. Eighty-five per cent Of them
are of foreign birth. They all belong
to the union. but most Of them take
little part in 1t, They would well
come peace from Athe negotiations
in New York even II the peace
brought them virtually nothing be.
yond what has already been con-
ceded to them.
That IL one part Of the picture.
There is 2 parallel part which moves
in precisely opposite direction.
VIII Fight to Finish.
The very same miners who would
welcome peace will accept a strike
and fight it through to the last
limit.
This writer met quite a few
miners who are against the check
off. He did not meet one who
dreamed Of going on working II q
check-off strike was called.
These miners realize that the de-
mands Of the miners were forTnu-
lated by freely and fully elected
Representatives Of the miners. They
realize that the negotiators in New
York are similarly elected repre-
sentatives Of the miners, including
men directly out o.. the mines.
They will back these demands and
these representatives. They would
prefer peace, but they win accpet
war.
They are like voters who might
perhaps have a record OF seldom
voting and who might perhaps be op-
posed to q war by the United States
for capturing Bermuda, but who, II
the war was declared, would pre-
sently be in uniform on q transport
headed for Bermuda.
For these men the union IL their
economic country. They think 1t
gave them their present economic
standing. They viii neglect the
union meetings, attack the union
policies, and starve and die for the
union. The situation can be told In
one incident.
illustrated BY Incident.
On q lonely road on a high hill this
writer happened into the presence
of a solitary miner who was con-
tempIating q characteristic scene.
About him rose q locally char
acteristic forest Of scrub oak. Be.
meath him at the foot Of the hill
there flowed a locally characteristic
stream Of water black with the wash
ings from the Mines Across from
him, on the other side Of the valley
there lay q long steep black rampant
| Of mine refuse, q culm bank, 9
mountainous grim wall OF discarded
powdery coal and bouldery slate.
He cursed the check-off. He said
it would include the collecting OF a.
easements for the hiring OF or
ganizers to unite the bitumInous
miners. -.
The anthracite miners, he said
were 100 per cent organized. Tnt
| bituminous miners, he said, did not
| Rave sense enough to be 100 per cent
organized. He was down on the
bituminous miners and down on the
| check-off. Then came his conclusion
about it, and it was as follows:
| Nov; IL we have this strike sfo1
the check-off, will the bituminout
miners help us? No. sir, they viii
| not. And what will we DOT"
VIII Back Negotiations.
| Here he took in a long breath and
exploded 1t out Of him with the re
mark:
1--WE will put the strike across and
| win it ourselves"
This sort Of situation means that
| the negotiators for the anthracite
miners in New York are in a pecu
liarly happy position as negotiators
Their constituents will probably
approve them and support them
whether they come back with small
gains and peace or with an In
sistence on large gains and q sum
| mons to battle.
| Copyright, 1923, Washington Press
Service.)