Evening star., 1925-11-24
Unmoved by Threats of SYM
pathetic Strike in Btu
mious Coal Fields.
GREEN AND MORRISON
CONFER WITH PRESIDENT
"Hands-0ff" Policy Believed Ger
tain-Executive Studying Situa-
tion Before Giving Views.
BY j. RUSSELL YOUNG.

President Coolidge let it he known
today that he is going to answer the
letter from John l.. Lewis. president
nf the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea. in which the latter asked the
Executive whether the union men
would he justified in adopting their
own course to enforce the Jackson
vile wage agreement for the btu
minous coal fields.
In making this fact known at the
White House. the spokesman for the
President stated that Mr.. Lewis al
ready had been advised that the Pres
ident will prepare an answer, but in
the meantime he wants to consider
carefully the questions involved be
fore making any reply.
The Presidents course in this mat
ter Is understood to have been de-
cided upon following several con-
fnrenCeS he has had with Secretary
Of Commerce Hoover and other mem
hers of his cabinet since receiving
the Lewis letter.
Confers With Labor Heads.
William Green. president of the
American Federation of Labor and
former treasurer of the Miners
Union, and Frank Morrison, secretary
of the federation, We're closeted with
the President for more than an hour
late yesterday afternoon, and al
though they said afterward that the
President discussed with them the
labor section of the message he is to
send 70 Congress next month, it is
thought in more than one quarter
that the coal situation. as we'll as the
]
More than one of the Presidents S
intimates today represented him as
resenting very much that part of the
letter from Mr.. Lewis, which is taken
generally as a threat that unless the
Federal Government intervenes Mr..
Lewis would bring about a strike
among the bituminous miners. One
who is very close to the Executive
said that from his long experience
with the latter he has come to the
conclusion that threats accomplish
very little where Mr.. Coolidge is con-
cerned.
He never makes them himself, and
when they are hurled at him they al
ways fail to scare or confuse him, and
they never bring results. this friend
said
Expected to Be Firm.
In announcing that the President
would answer the Lewis letter, the
White House spokesman gave no init
nation of the probable nature of the
reply, but 1t is felt by more than one
person close TO the President that he
will make his language Enthusiastically
plain to the miners head, and that in
doing so he will remove from the lat
Ter all ideas that the President can be
forced by threats.
The President is expected to state
Just what the Government has done
since the negotiations to reach an
agreement between the operators and
miners We're opened at Atlantic City
last Summer. The President also is
expected to reiterate his declaration
that he is empty handed, so far as
forcing an issue with either or both
If the disputants is concerned. He will
remind Mr.. Lewis that the Federal
Government is not responsible for the
Jacksonville wage agreement, and that
II the bituminouS miners have any
complaint to make against violations
Of this agreement on the part of the
soft coal operators, they should seek
redress from the courts and not from
the executive of the Government.
Just how soon President Coolidge
will pen his reply is a difficult matter
10 guess 1t generally has been Mr..
Goolidge's policy to not hurry in
handling such matters and he will
give Considerab study to the contents
Of the letter Mr.. Lewis sent him be-
fore he starts to frame a reply.
"Hands-Off" Policy.
Although no hint is given at the
White House as to what might be ex-
pected in the Presidents answer
those close to the President feel very
sure he will continue along his fixed
"hands-off" policy. The Presidents
principal interest is in behalf of the
public, and he is being kept we'll ad-
vised of conditions in those sections
where anthracite was almost eXclu-
sively used and where the first pinch
will be felt because of scarcity of this
fuel The President is hoping that the
,public will pull through the winter
with the minimum amount of discom-
future, feeling that If this is accom-
plshed the public then Will have the
satisfaction of knowing that 1t has de-
feated both the anthracite operators
and miners, probably for all time. The
President has given his moral support
10 efforts being made to educate the
public in the use of substitute fuel and
he feels very hopeful that wider use
Of fuel substitutes will make it pos
sible to meet the situation generally.
LEWIS AND MARKLE CONFER.