Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-09-10
COAL COMMISSION URGES
CODE TO END DISPUTES
Continued from Page y.

lAAAO III 0k0Ak
coal industry generally, the commits
sion gave particular attention to the
present situation. Most OF the in
dustrial friction which has operated
to stop the machinery of production,
and frequently resulted in violence
and bloodshed the commission as
cribed to the following basic causes:
Disputes as to what are popularity
known as the civil rights of Ameri-
can citizens.
Practical breach of these rights in
J the industry, even when theoretical
ly acknowledged.
Inappropriate application to pres
ent conditions of principles enunci-
ated under totally different economic
| conditions.
Attitude of public opinion pro-
duced by ancient grievances.
Lax administration of the law in
duced through fear, favor, affection,
malice, hatred, or ill-will.
Unwise even though lawful inter-
ference of strangers in local condiF
tons.
The effect of universal suffrage
upon law administration.
There is no intellectual dispute"
the commission reported, touching
the academic proposition of the
| right of a man to run an open shop,
nor of the right of men to organize
for the purposes of collective bar
THE commission does not find,
Notwithstanding many unfortunate
occurrences, unlawful acts and I'M
wise statements that it is or has been
the ultimate object of the United
Ags-- I ArIyara nP Taariao m IJpinn-
ize all the mines by force If neces-
| sary. Upon the other hand, it does
not find, regardless of unfortunate
| statements and unlawful conduct,
that it is the fixed purpose of nom
| union operators to destroy the Unit
| ed Mine Workers. The commission
chooses rather to give those who are,
from the moral standpoint, whatever
it may be from the legal standpoint,
charged with violation of the law,
the benefit of the doubt as to crimi-
nal intent"
Analysis of n single unlawful
act with a view of fixing responsible
ity would not serve, the commission
said, to give any justification save
as such justification could be found
in the common and ordinary passion
of mankind, for the other side to
have met force with force, to have
fought fire with fire."
The disorders at Herrin were cited
as a case in point. Without at
tempting to fix responsibility, the
commission found the fatal outbreak
at the plant of the Southern Illinois
Coal Company to have been fostered
by the fevered state of local public
opinion which had developed into a
"class hatred"
There is no doubt that when the
promoter started to operate his mine
in defiance of the union, he was in
viting mob violence and flirting with
death; the report said. He knew it
and prepared to meet it. Those in
the mob undoubtedly believed it was
an attempt to return to old con-
ditions before the mines had been
unionized.
There were of course fatal omis-
sions of duty on the part of public
officials, and neither the officials nor
the pubic wanted troops to pro-
tect the operator in his union-defy-
ing operations. 1t might have been
stopped by the sheriff, by the officers
of the miners union, by public sem
timent, but all were for the union
and all believed that an attempt
was being made to destroy it.
although the Commission finds
that the tragedy might have been
prevented, it also finds that the
union officials and the public officials
never anticipated that it would hap
pen. They believed that the non
union miners would be kicked out of
the country and that this would
end It. Then came into the equation
an unknown quantity. Nobody a
tell how much this had to do iwth the
failure to punish the members of
the mob. 1t was the storm Of pro-
test that swept through the public
press of this country. 1t was the
condemnation Of the union, the union
officials, and the public officers. 1t
presented the common aspect of a
stranger interfering in a family row.
The Commission, of course, cannot
say what might have been the re-
suit if public opinion had waited un-
til the courts had either attempted
or refused to discharge their duty.
But the whole economic life of h
country puts 1t beyond peradventure
that when an indiscriniaate assault
on the UNION anu ln6 pbOplS VI
the country was made it rendered
the punishment of anybody imposs-
ible in that county.
This statement, unfortunately,
cannot end here. Clothed with all
the charitable above set out
these furnish no justification for the
brazen audacity with which sub
ordinate officials and members of
the United Mine Workers Of Amer
lea defended the crime and crimi-
nails. That they were espousing the
cause and defending the lawbreakers
Is further shown to the Commission
by the fact that they have since
bought the mine where the tragedy
occurred, and have paid therefor
1929. 900"
The local view Of the incident, was
well stated in the opinion of the
coroner's jury" which found that
the 26 deaths resulted from the act,
direct and indirect. of officials of
the Southern Illinois Coal Company"
Neither the sheriff nor any of
his deputies interfered or even visit
ed the scene" the commission said.
THE police officers of Herrin ignor-
ed the march through of the
paved streets of the city OF six pris-
oners and their execution at the
cemetery, although all the rest Of the
population knew about it and many