Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-10
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MARYLAND and Virginia.
Am Othcr States and Canada.
Me mbcr of the Associated Press.
An Idle Gesture.

Request q | by the Senate to invite
o the Whiae House the committee of
operators an. miners in order that he
may urge upo Y them the national i'm
portance of an immediate settlement
pr the anthrsne'tte coal strike. the
President has prol nptlr made it known
hat, lacking any power 10 enforce
edmonitions. he con sidcrs it futile to
fomply. He will, TN n'efore. make no
nove looking 10 securing an agree
ment from the contene'inI parties TO
the strike
Repeatedly since ConArcss assem-
Piled it has been urged that legislation
pc framed and enacted wlhct either
S'-:nts the President power tn settle
. the strike directly. or which d,sciares
anthracite coal a NATIONAL publhS util-
Iity and provides line means Of hh'ur-
ling continued mining. Numerous hills
have been drafted and introduced Sto
such effect. None of them has bean
seriously considered ira committee. :
Adoption of the resolution Of re-<
quest yesterday was nothing but an
| idle gesture. II could not possibly
have any effect. for everybody knows
shat the President, even though he
z,.ceded TO the resolution and sum-
roned the coal contestan to a con-
ference at the White House, would
have no jurisdiction or authority to
compel settlement, or to ENSURE the
execution of any agreement that
might be arrived at in such aAmeeting.
In the circumstances yesterdays
action was a waste Of timex Fortu
nateiy. II did not cause any raising of
false hopes. for the President was
prompt in his rejoinder and the an
nouncement that he would decline to
accede to the request went forth al
ntsst simultaneously with that ON the
adoption Of the resolution.
There is nothing that the President
could say to the opponents In the coal
strike that has not already been said,
by newspapers, by legislators, by rep
resentatives of both sides, in the
course OF the nearly FIVE and g. hahn
months that have passed since thet
strike started. No influence that het
could bring to bear upon the antaso
nists could be greater than that Of
public sentiment, already expressed in
strong terms.
II begins TO look as If the union and
the operators were determined to
make this a finish fight" Perhaps
tir,o 70
a contest. Although there is some
suffering, from lack Of the usual kind
and quantity Of fuel. and from the
high prices charged for all forms Of
heating material. the situation is by
no means so acute as to constitute a
grave public menace. There is suffer
ing in the anthracite region, due to
the refusal Of the miners to resume
work. Spokesman for them, however,
declare that they are not in acute dis
tress. The Winter has but a few more
weeks to run.
a makeshift adjustment now would
not be satisfactory WHAT is wanted
in the public interest is some definite
arrangement that will prevent future
Stoppages of coal production. If that
is not forthcoming from this present
stubborn tie-up the strike will have
been an utter waste. If il should re.
suit the public distress for these past
weeks and perhaps the weeks TO come
will not have been in vain. With
such a possible outcome in view A
patchwork peace at the request of the
President of the United States would
he Of no value whatever.