New Britain herald., 1925-09-03
COAL SITUATION < ENTERS POLITICS
Lewis CritiCiSeS HammOnd's
 Action in Statement

Philadelphia. Sept. 8 Upl-Anthra- cite miners believe the push they say John Hays Hammond. chairman of the U. $. coal commission of 1923, Is trying to give the hard coal question would take 1t into the halls of congress, freighted with the bur den of soft coal.
 John L. Lewis. president of the , United Mine Workers of America, in dealing along this line with re- cent conferences between Mir. Ham, mond and President Coolidge at Swampscott issued statement here last night which is being re-read today with special care for any in- terlinear meanings 1t might con- tain.
 MT. Lewis, openly avowing 6 con- viction that the present anthracite suspension of 14S,000 mine workers had now been brought into the realm of political equations" said:
 Responsibility for the talk about nationalization lies with Mir. John Hays Hammond, who according to Swampscott dispatches, has been haunting the lawns of White Court pestering the president 10 breathe life into the recommendations of Hammond's defunct coal commis- sion.
 Tt is Mir. Hammond, and not the United Mine Workers, who proposes that the federal administration shall cast overheard its policy of non-in- reference with business. It is Mir. Hammond who proposes that the re- publican majority In congress shall depart from its traditional policy and through legislation establish a semi-regulation of the anthracite in dustry.
 Surely the astute Mir. Hammond shCuld appreciate that the Invest ment bankers of New York and Philadelphia who control the anthra- cite industry do not desire the pry- ing hand of congress to bare to a scornful public gaze the amazing profits which they are taking from g natural monopoly of a public necessity.
 "Mr. Hammond should also know that the federal congress cannot diff ferentiate between anthracite and bituminous mines when dealing with the basic necessity of coal It is ob- vious that any legislation enacted by congress dealing with anthracite must similarly be superimposed upon the bituminous industry.
 "Mr. Hammond, by his vain nut terings. has brought the present controversy into the realm of poli tical equations. By the same token he has mixed the devils stew for the forthcoming congress to sup" MT. Lewis in citing talk of na- tionalization of the coal mines re- ferred to recent reports from the mining region that movement was under way there to revive considera- ton of such a plan. Naturalization was originally outlined in the fall of 1922 by Christ J. Golden, presi- dent of district 9 and members of Jl standardization committee appoint ed by the United Mine Workers to : study the subject,
 The report of the committee has not yet been presented to the union for adoption or rejection at bien- nial convention. The present advo- cacy of naturalization is according ly attributed to groups within seek Ing to commit the organization even- tually in it's favor
 MT. Lewis attack upon MT. Ham, mond had not failed of comment here among those concerned in an- thracite events, Such comment as carries weight owns frankly to sur prise. They say they expected an thracite to be emphasized sooner or later from the political side. but did not look for it within forty eight hours after the mine suspension went into effect.
 The reason for sounding this key note now is the subject of consider able speculation.