Evening star., 1923-08-25
i. s. STANDS READY.
TO BACK P|NCHOT.
Lacking Fower to Seize
Mines, Government Will Aid
" if State Takes Step.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

By DAVID LAWhENSG.
The federal government Is trying
again to pass the responsibility for
getting coal to the several states.
Feeling that authority is lacking TO
seize mines and operate them. the
administration here will attempt to
put into operation a plan that was
discussed and approved year ago
when the soft coal strike was in
effect.
:. Secretary Hoover is believed TO be
the author of the plan. 1t is that
the states, which have plenty of law
and authority, shall take the initi-
Gtive and seize the mines if neces-
Tary in order 10 get fuel. the federal
gcvernment lending hand whe--
over possible.
Faith In Pinrhot.
The fact that the anthracite strike
centers in Pennsylvania. and that
Gov. Pinchot Is the kind Of a sta te
executive who can be relied upon to
act courageously, makes the field for
the experiment much more favora BILE
fhan IL was a year ago. when many
governors of various political faiths
and economic beliefs had To be taken
INTO consultation. In short. the fed
eral government did not feel that ii
had the persuasive influence then
which it now has with the state of
Pennsylvania. but should the expert
ment succeed il is hoped other states
would be inclined to follow the eX-
ample of Gov. PinChot.
The formal description of the s!tua-
tion which one obtains at the White
House is as follows:
There is one word that will indica te
the situation in Pennsylvania and
the Governor of Pennsylvania and
the United States authorities. The
United States Coal Commission will
furnish Gov. Pinchot all the informa-
tion that he may desire and he will
cooperate with the federal govern
ment in undertaking to further nego-
fiations and help In trying to reach n
settlement. He has IA Jurisdiction
that is more intimate and complete
over the property and the persons
that are enpaged in the mining of
anthraCite coal than that which is
held by the United States authorities.
L. =. Ready to Cooperate.
The foregoing gives enough of a
hint of what Is expected by the fed
eral government of the state execu
tives to show what's coming. The
states will exert pressure either by
actually seiZing the mines and making
new wage contracts with the men or
by threatening 10 do the same.
. 1t WAS revealed at the White House
also that the distribution OF coal
would be handled by the states after
Il reached them and that the federal
government. through the Interstate
Commerce Commission, would issue
the necessary priority uTderS. so that
coal could be expedited over the inter
state railroads to the ceHteTS of dis
tribution.
7 Naturally. there is an unwilling
ness at the White Hous" 10 concede
that the new plan means an abandon
ment by tho federal government of it's
sital interest in the problem. The
executive offices here issued the COM
mcnt that il would not be fair for the
federal government 10 undertake TO
turn this problem over to the gov
trnment of each state, and it was in
sisted that Gov. Pinchot, for instance,
Volunteered to come in and help, In
fact. the President would like to have
The Impression conveyed that the
federal government isn't abandoning
anything 10 the states and the states
are not abandoning anything TO the
federal government.
May Have 1921 Bearing.
: But the truth is members OF Con-
gress and constitutional authorities
who were consulted q year ago came
TO the conclusion that the federal
government was without sufficient
law TO act in coal emergency and
that only the states could do what the
American people had come to believe
she federal government could do. The
President hopes for peace b. agree
nent rather than by any form of CO.
srcion or force. but he stands ready
70 cooperate with any state that takes
drastic measures.
'-All eyes are now on Gov. Pinchot.
and although politics hasn't been Il
factor on the surface. there are many
people here who believe that Gov.
Pinchot may win national prestige
out of the coal situation so as to be-
come the candidate for Vice Presi-
dent on the Coolidge ticket. \ strike
situation gave Mr.. Coolidge, himself.
the fame that prompted the r"pub!l-
can convention of 1920 to select. him
for the vice presidency, and it may do
the same for Pinchot.