Evening star., 1946-12-08
Had Also Planned
Army Operation
OF Strip Mines

menu was ready TO DTlIlS dCtlOIl
against him and hundreds of in
ternational and local officers Of
the United Mine Workers for
violation of the Smith -Connally
Act and after a decision had
been made to use Army engineers
to operate strip" or surface
mines to save the Nation from
disaster. O..
The Star learned that the Smith
Connally breakdown on long list
of big and little union officials was
to come within a week. The act
fatty forbids a strike against mines
held by the Government, provides
jail sentences and fines on conyic-
ton and would apply, officials be-
lieve, regardless of the merits of
Mr.. Lewis argument that he had
the contractural right to terminate
his wage agreement with the Gov
ernment.
The decision to operate strip"
mines with the armed forces If the
strike was prolonged was a firm
one, 1t is known. It was made only
after the most careful deliberation
because of the dynamite" inherent
in such an obvious strike-breaking
move. Officials realized there might
be bloodshed. They remembered the
Herrin, H., massacre of 1922, when
81 persons lost their lives in the
bloody aftermath of an attempt to
run a strip mine during a strike.
Planned to Warn Workers.
President Truman, it was said,
was set to tell the miners at what
lengths the Government was pre-
pared to go to head of suffering
and economic chaos If they failed
to return to work. He planned to
warn the mine workers in nnight's
radio talk, which was cancelled by
the end of the strike.
Mr.. Lewis action in calling OF the
strike caught the Presidents ad-
yisers as much OF guard as it die
any one else. It Is known that the
decision had been made to go pas
Mr.. Lewis and the union as an or
ganization and strike closer home
to the workers themselves. In fact
Mr.. Lewis action In District Court
and on the outside convinced Fed
eral officials for the first time that
the union boss had finally deter
mined to fight the issue to q finish,
just as MIR. Truman much earlier
had told his aides to do.
. There was no sign of break in
MIR. Lewis defiant attitude, the Of
flcials said.
No "Feeiers" Pending.
All of the efforts from within
and without the Government to
bring about a settlement of the
crisis had failed. There were no
peace ''feelers" pending.
It was revealed that Mr.. Lewis
let it be known through friends in
Government, industry and his own
counsel, but never directly, that he
would settle for less than his origi-
nal wage demands that brought
about his termination" of the Gov
ernment contract and the strike.
The proposal was that the miners
be given 81 hours per week pay for
48 hours work. His original pay de-
mand was for 54 hours pay for a
4o-hour week, an increase Of about
58 cents or SO per cent in base hour
ly pay of the miners.
This compromise, which officials
said they were certain came from
Mr.. Lewis, was heard first before
the strike began November 81 and
was still around almost until the
minute Justice T. Alan Goldsbor-
ough pronounced sentence for con-
tempt last Wednesday. Each time
the Government suggestion that the
proposal be discussed with the mine
owners received ''brushoff."
Behind the Scenes Move.
Here is the authentic version of
the behind the scenes maneuyering
during the five-hour delay in sem
fencing Mr.. Lewis and the union:
Justice Goldsborough was in
formed through an aide some time
before sentence was scheduled to be
pronounced at 10 am. that Joseph
A. Padway, member of Mr.. Lewis
counsel, had settlement proposal
to present. The court called Gov
ernment and defense counsel to his
chambers and told them he had no
desire to punish without cause and
the most important thing was coal
production.
Mr.. Lewis counsel then suggested
resumption of negotiations between
the miners and Government and
recess of court pending outcome
1See CRACKDOWN. Page A-ll.)