Evening star., 1946-05-23
Merits of Coal Strike
No Longer the Issue
Failure To Enforce Law Makes
Mockery of u. S. Seizure
BY David Laurence


BY David Laurence
The issue no longer is the merits OF
the coal strike, but whether President
Truman is going to permit any group
to violate the law.
Latest figures show that since the
Government Of the United States seized
the coal mines at least 243 mines were
shut down. Reports in the press state
that miners in certain areas showed up
for work and suddenly decided not to
work.
The Smith -Connally Law specifically
declares it to be unlawful for any one
by word or deed to interfere with or
slow down the operations of any prop
erty seized by the Government.
Is it conceivable that all the miners
refrained from work spontaneously? Is
it to be assumed that nobody gave
them any word and they took the
initiative individually without confer
ring with one another? To ask the
question is to emphasize the absurdity
of any such premise.
Right As individuals.
Official Washington knows that the
miners who refrained from going back
to work had the right as individuals
to refrain but knows also that workers
do not withdraw without concerted &C.
ton.
Will the President order the Justice
Department to investigate and prose-
w 20 or 40
the laws of the land need not be obeyed
when a labor union decides to ignore
them? OF what use is the labor legis-
lation being debated by Congress II
the Government does not intend to en-
force existing law?
Members of Congress have been ask
ing these questions ever since the Is
day truce was proclaimed and threat
OF Government seizure was reported in
the newspapers. Did the unions make
arrangements before seizure to notify
the members not to work If seizure
came? The Justice Department ought
to be able TO clarity that point, for it
seems incredible that unions with tens
of thousands of members can act as
ulSJTuCLlOQ DelIlR
them.
The issues in the coal controversy
probably can be solved in due time
and, as has been stated in these dis
patches, the miners have many a point
on their side, They will, however, for
felt public confidence If they resort to
any plan to sabotage the Governments
effort to keep the mines open.
The responsibility for the whole cha
otic situation in the industrial world is
rapidly drifting to President Truman.
Some of his lieutenants on Capitol Hill
are working strenuously to prevent the
passage of any restrictive legislation
They apparently want the situation to
continue to be handled by the President
personally.
Pressure on President.
This would mean that presidential in
tervention is to be the only means of
settling strikes. Already the Railway
Mediation Acts machinery has been by
passed and pressure has been exerted
on Mr.. Truman. Similarly now the
Ioa1 AIllIicIs liliol1S Will NC gwen CUIl"
tract by the Government which i'm
poses on the operators conditions that
they never would grant through COL
lective bargaining.
What this means is that the unions
have succeeded virtually in establish
ing system of compulsory arbitration
with the President as the arbitrator
and that all the unions have to do Is to
use their pressure or their Influence in
Washington to get their demands full
filled. If this is an extreme statement
of the case, all one has to do is to
take what the fact-fnding boards rec
commended in the case of the railroad
unions and what the operators and
miners were respectively willing to ac-
cept and compare it with the terms of
the final settlements
The President cannot afford to allow
all his time to be taken up with the
settlement of labor disputes. If COM
pulsory arbitration is imperative in GER
tain public necessity industries. then
Congress should prescribe the methods
and conditions Of such an arbitration
process and establish the machinery.
The whole labor situation cannot be
left to the President to handle. and
certainly there can be no progress If
a mockery is made of Government seiz-
ure by failure to enforce the law.
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