The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-05-03

members of the board followed the
usual practice which has proved sue
cessful in other disputes. Acting
promptly, they undertook to get all
the facts of the case from both the
miners and the operators.
The national officers of the United
Mine Workers, however, declined to
have anything to do with the fact
finding of the War Labor Board. The
only excuse that they offer is that
the War Labor Board is prejudiced
The War Labor Board has been
and is ready to give the case a fair,
impartial hearing. I have given my
assurance that if any adjustment OF
wages is made by the board it will
be made retroactive to April l. But
the national officers of the United
Mine Workers refused to participate
in the hearing when asked to do so
last Monday.
On Wednesday of the past week,
while the board was proceeding with
the case, stoppageS began to occur in
some mines. On Thursday morning
I telegraphed to the officers of the
United Mine Workers asking that
the miners continue mining coal on
Saturday morning However a gen.
eral strike throughout the industry
became effective Friday night.
Face Responsibility
The responsibility for the crisis
that we now face rests squarely on
these national officers of the United
Mine Workers and not on the gov
eminent Of the United States.
But the consequences of this
arbitrary action threaten all of us.
At 10 o'clock yesterday morning
the government took over the mines.
I called upon the miners to return
to work for their government. The
government needs their services
just as surely as it needs the serv-
ices of our soldiers, sailors and
marines and the services of the
millions who are turning out the
munitions Of war.
You miners have sons in the
Army and Navy and Marine Corps.
You have sons who at this very
minute - this split second - may
be fighting in New Guinea or in the
AleutianS Islands, or Gnadalcanal
or Tunisia or protecting troop ships
and supplies against submarines on
the high seas.
We have already received tele-
grams from some of our fighting
men overseas, and only wish they
could tell you what they think of
the stoppage of work in the coal
mines.
Some of your own sons have come
back here from the fighting fronts,
wounded. A number of them are
now here in a hospital in Wash
ington. Several have been decorated
by their government.
I could tell you of one from
Pennsylvania. He was coal miner
before his induction. His father is
a coal miner. He was seriously
wounded by Nazi machine-gun bull
lets while he was on a bombing
mission over Europe in Flying
Fortress.
Another boy from Kentucky. the
son OF a coal miner, was wounded
when our troops first landed in
North Africa six months ago.
There Is still another, from Illi-
no1s. He was coal miner. His
father and two brothers are coal
miners. He was seriously wounded
In Tunisia while attempting to res
cue two comrades whose jeep had
been blown up by a Nazi mine.
These men did not consider them
selves heroes. They would prob
ably be embarrassed if I mentioned
their names over the air. They
were wounded in the line of duty.
They know how essential it is to
the tens of thousands and ulti-
mateiy to millions of other young
Americans to get the best of arms
and equipment into the hands of
our t1gbting forces and get them
there quickly.
the fathers and mothers of our
lighting men, their brothers and
sisters and friends-and that in
cludes all of us are also in the
line OF duty-the production line.
Any failure in production may well
result in costly defeat on the field
of battle.
No Powerful Faction
There can be no one among US
no one faction-powerful enough to
the forward march of our
people to victory.
You miners have ample reason to
know that there are certain basic
rights for which this country stands,
and that those rights are worth
lighting for and dying for. That is
why you have sent your sons and
brothers from every mining town in
the nation to join in the great
struggle overseas.
That is why you have contributed
80 generously, so willingly to the
purchase of war bonds and to the
many funds. for the relief of wal
victims in foreign lands. That is
why, SINCE this war started in 1889
you have increased the annual pro-
duction of coal by almost 10000, OOO
tons year.
The toughness Of your sons in oul
armed forces Is not surprising. They
come of fine, rugged stock. Mer
who work IN mines are not unac-
customed to hardships. 1t has beer
the objective of the government tc
reduce that hardship to obtain fol-
miners and for all who do the ma.
tons work a better standard o!
living.
I know only too well that thu
cost Of living is troubling the min.
ers' families and the families of mil.
lions of other workers throughout
the country as well.
A year ago 1t became eviden'
to all Of US that something had tt
be done about living costs. You
government determinRd nat to n.