Evening star., 1946-12-03
Nation Again Focuses
Eyes on White House
Lawmakers Pointing to Truman
for Answer in Coal Crisis
BIZ David Laurence

By Dapid Laurence
Testimony by Government witnesses
that the American people and their In
dustries face a catastrophe II the coal
strike isn't settled soon has served TO
focus attention once more on the White
House
Is the President waiting for the con-
tempt case to be decided before making
a move to bring coal out Of the ground?
Will prosecution of the miners union
mine coal?
These two questions have been asked
again and again hereabouts, but Sem
ators on both the Republican and
Democratic sides are beginning to point
to President Truman as the man who
must give the answer and make the
next move by calling Congress into
extra session.
Mr.. Truman is represented as being
unwilling to do this and as believing
there is time enough to let the new
Congress deal with the whole problem
in January.
Yet the evidence in the contempt
trial offered by the Government itself
indicates that there isn't time. Ger
tainly 1t would be dangerous to wait till
January and then dump the whole thing
into the lap of Congress which hardly
win be able to organize Immediately.
Rumors of Politics.
There are beginning to be rumors
that the President is playing politics
with the situation and that he is de-
ferring action till the January session
because he doesn't want the Democratic
Congress to take political responsibility
for the drastic legislation that would
have to be passed in order to get coal
mined.
There is only one way to get coal
! mined and that is for the Government
to get legislation from Congress per-
mitting the draft of all miners for
service in the armed forces The draft
law is still on the statute books and an
amendment thereto could be passed
overnight.
This Is the same solution that Mr..
Truman himself advocated in connec-
ton with the railroad strike last spring.
1t will be recalled that the House Of
Representatives passed the legislation
| by overwhelming vote. The measure
died in the Senate. Mr.. Truman was
bitterly criticized for the proposal, as
the rail strike was settled and the crisis
| he visualized didn't materialiZe.
The President is afraid the same thing
may happen again. John L. Lewis might
agree to settlement while special ses-
sion of Congress debates the issue and
| Mr.. Truman would again be accused of
/. having dealt severe blow to the cause
| of organized labor.
Public Welfare at Stake.
The draft bill was vehemently fought
by labor and by Republicans as well as
/ Democrats. They insisted that it would
be involuntary servitude" to compel the
! miners to mine coal, but the answer
! given to this argument was that, when
! the national safety is impaired, the
/ state can call on any able-bodied man
to prevent disaster. 1t is conceded that
| a national disaster impends if the coal
isn't mined The power of the Federal
Government to call on any group OF
citizens to help preserve the state is
admittedly within the Constitution. Con-
gress can provide for handling domestic
insur4Action and so can the States of
the Union.
Virginia has law which permits the
Governor. to draft workers in any in
dustry for the State militia. When an
electric power strike was threatened, the
Governor of Virginia announced that
workers in the plants would be drafted
into the State militia and ordered to
continue at work.
This is drastic use of governmental
power, but when the public welfare is at
stake, as it is in time of domestic
violence or war, the provocation to use
such power is great.
Legislation of this type might be Of
a temporary character because it would
not be necessary again to use the draft
power if labor union CLOSED shops" were
prohibited and if compulsory arbitration
we're required by Congress for disputes
in industries essential to the MAIN
tenance of the national health and
safety. If the coal strike is settled be-
fore draft legislation becomes necessary.
it will nevertheless result in remedial
statutes to prevent any union from
achieving economic power of such mag
nitude as to imperil the life of the
people.
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