The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-05-03
Miners Urged To Work
UnderS Stars and Stripes
President Roosevelt in Dramatic Appeal for United
Action Declares War Effort Will Be Maintained

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a nationwide broadcast last evening
appealed to the coal miners of
America to return to work today
and continue in cooperation with
the war effort under the stars and
stripes. The text Of his dramatic
speech from Washington, D. c., at
10 o'clock last evening included no
mention of the name Of the miners
leader, John L. Lewis, nor mention
of the truce which had been reached
and announced twenty minutes
before His Excellency started to
broadcast his speech. The text of
his appeal was as follows:
I am speaking tonight to the
American people and in particular
to those of our citizens who are coal
miners.
Tonight this country faces seri-
GUST crisis. We are engaged in a war
on the successful outcome of which
depends the whole future of our
country.
This war has reached a new
critical phase. After the years that
we have spent in preparation, we
are moved into active and continu-
ing battle with our enemies. We are
pouring into the worldwide conflict
everything that we have-our young
men and the vast resources Of our
nation.
have just returned from a two
weeks tour of inspection on which
I saw our men being trained and
our war materials made. My trip
took me through twenty states. I
saw thousands of workers on the
production line, making airplanes,
guns and ammunition.
Everywhere I found great eager
ness to get on with the war. Men
and women are working long hours
at difficult jobs and living under
difficult conditions without COM
plant.
Along thousands of miles Of track
1 saw countless acres of newly
ploughed fields. The farmers of this
country are planting the crops that
are needed to feed our armed forces,
our civilian population and our Al
lies. Those crops will be harvested.
On my trip I saw hundreds of
thousands of soldiers. Young men
who were green recruits last
Autumn have matured into self-as-
sured and hardened fighting men.
They are in splendid physical con-
dition. They are mastering the
superior weapons that are pouring
out of our factories.
The American people have accom-
pllshed a miracle.
No Interference
However, all of our massed effort
Is none too great to meet the de-
mandS of this war. We shall need
everything that we have and every
thing that our allies have to defeat
the Nazis and the Fascists in the
coming battles on the continent of
Europe and the Japanese on the
continent of Asia and in the islands
OF the Pacific.
IhlS tremendous forward move
ment of the United States and the
United Nations cannot be stopped
by our enemies.
Equally, 1t must not be hampered
by any one individual or by the
leaders of any one group here back
home.
want to make 1t clear that every
American coal miner who has STOP
PED mining coal - no matter how
sincere his motives. no matter how
legitimate he may believe his griev-
ances to be-every idle miner d.
rectly and individually is obstruct-
ing our war effort. We have not yet
won this war. We will win this war
only as we produce and deliver our
total American effort on the high
seas and on the battle fronts. That
requires relenting, uninterrupted eff
fort here on the home front.
The stopping of the coal supply.
even for short time, would involve
gamble with the lives of Ameri-
can soldiers and sailors and the fu-
ture security of our whole people.
1t would involve an unwarranted,
unnecessary and terribly dangerous
gamble with our chances for vic
tory.
Therefore, I say to all miners
and to all Americans everywhere,
at home and abroad-the produc-
ton of coal will not be stopped.
Tonight I am speaking to the es-
Sential patriotism of the miners and
to the patriotism of their wives and
children. And I am going to state
the true facts of this case as simply
and as plainly as I know how.
After the attack at Pearl Harbor
the three great labor organizations
the American Federation of La
Dor, the Congress of Industrial Or
CARNATIONS and the Railroad Bro
therhoods--gave the positive assur-
ance that there would be no strikes
as long as the war lasted. The pres
ident of the United Mine Workers
of America was party to that as
surance.
Pledge Applauded
That pledge was applauded
throughout the country. 1t was a
forcible means of telling the world
that we Americans-135, 900, 900 of
us-are united in our determination
to fight this total war with our to-
tai will and our total power.
At the request of employers and
of organized labor-including the
United Mine Workers-the War La
Dor Board was set up for settling
disputes which could not be ad-
justed through collective bargain
ing. The War Labor Board is a
tribunal on which workers, employ
ers and the general public are equal
ly represented.
In the present coal crisis concilia-
ton and mediation were tried un-
successfully.
In accordance with the Law, the
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