Evening star., 1946-05-03
Trumun Seen Puttino
Pressure on Miners

PRESSURE on Miners
Justice Department Use Possible
To Enforce Law, Says Writer
BY Dapid Laurence
President Truman's intimation that
the coal miners may soon be found
striking against the Government
means, Of course, that he wants the
country in general and the miners
union in particular to know that tho
present impasse will be followed by q
seizure of the Nations coal mines.
This is a significant way to put pres
sure on the miners union to bring
about a compromise, but it is also q
gentle warning that the Government
may be thinking of using its enforce
ment powers under the Smith -Connally
Act against any leaders who conduct .
strike after seizure.
quit work of his own initiative once
the mines are seized or that he may re-
frain from going back to work If this
Is his own decision. But, on the other
hand, if the continued abstention from
work Is the result OF q concerted action
such as q notification from a union
officer or from any two or more persons
in the union, then prosecution is pos
sible under criminal provisions.
Prosecutions in Past.
There have been some prosecutions in
the past under the Smith -Connally law
but no instances involving any one
prominent in the labor movement. Not
long ago when the tugmen's strike was
In progress in New York City and tho
boats were seized by the Federal Gov-
ernment, there was a union meeting
held after the seizure. In this case,
however, the administration did not
prosecute anybody, because representa-
tive OF the Labor Department was pres
ent at the meeting in an effort to
persuade the men to 60 back to work,
so it was ruled that this was not q
clear case.
The power exists, however, for tho
Government to appeal to the miners to
go back to work when the mines are
seized. If, thereafter, the miners ask
instructions from their individual lead
ers and the word is passed to them not
to go back, the provisions Of the law
could be applied against any one who
advised the miners not to 60 back 10
work.
Tt is beginning to be believed that the
Truman administration will not hesitate
to use the Justice Department to en-
force the Smith -Connally law and that
this drastic step may be taken because
OF Nationwide protest against failure
TO heed the Presidents call to 60 back
to work.
There have been such pleas before
from Mr.. Truman which have gone un-
needed but in none of those instances
has there been a seizure. Usually when
the Government has stepped in, the
workers have filed back to their posts.
In the past the miners have worked
| under Government auspices when the
mines were seized and it is difficult to
see what possible excuse there would be
for ignoring the precedent. 1t could bs
| urged perhaps that there Is no longer
any need for obedience to the call of
the Government because the war is over
but the plight of many industries and
businesses which handle products
needed to maintain the health and
safety OF the people of the United States
constitutes circumstance that is of
equal gravity.
Final Chapters Written,
Official Washington guesses that the
final chapters in the coal strike are
being written and that in few DAYS a
turn toward settlement will be wit
messed.
The effect OF the episode will last long
beyond the time of the strikes termina-
ton. Every day that labor unions use
their collective bargaining powers and
especially the closed shop-which was
granted the miners union by a Demo-
cratic administration in Washington
public resentment against the one-sided
Wagner Labor Relations law is in
creased.
Some labor unions are trifing with
the most far-reaching reform they were
ever granted Abuse of authority leads
to revision or repeal. The labor move
ment might take lesson from the ex-
perlence OF the prohibitionists who did
not see soon enough that bootlegging
and the drop-off in public sentiment
would cause collapse Of enforcement
and finally repeal.
1t used to be said that the larger
labor unions were the more responsible
but the experience of the last few
months shows that with the assumption
OF vast power there has been in too
many cases no commensurate exercise
OF responsibility to the public interest.
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