Evening star., 1950-02-22
Coal Miners Defiance
OF Court Order Held
Open Insurrection
Lumon Administration
Blamed for Delaying
Federal Action in Crisis
By David Laurence

Gus breakdown of democracy-a
sacrifice of the prestige of the
Government itself on the altar of
political expediency and group
selfishness.
The failure of the coal miners
to obey the Federal court injunc-
ton is not just an incident in a
labor dispute. 1t has nothing to
do with the merits of any wage
or labor controversy as such. 1t
has everything to do with the fact
that tens of thousands of Ameri-
can citizens have decided to dis
obey their Governments judicial
DEGREES.
This amounts to open insurrec-
tion. The only saving grace about
it is that the rank and file of the
miners probably do not know that
they cannot lawfully defy an in
junction. They do not know that
they cannot even hold a union
meeting and vote to refrain from
work when there is court order
telling the union not to exercise
such influence.
The union leaders, on the other
hand. have counsel. They have
education. They know what it
means to ignore a court order as
4 group. It is amazing, more
over, to note how many persons of
education outside the coal indus
try have also misconstrued the
situation, weakly commenting
that there is nothing anybody can
do to get coal mined-that no in
junction can get the coal mined,
Administration Blamed.
This is tantamount to saying
that an insurrection in the United
States cannot be coped with by
the Government itself and that
the majesty of the judicial author
ity has vanished. The idea that
the right to strike in concert
as a union is inviolate and super
sedes the rights of a court Of the
United States is one that has been
mistakenly nurtured for a long
time by the radical groups in
America.
The present administration is
culpable because it has sabotaged
both the spirit and the letter OF
the present labor management
law through a prolonged period OF
tnaction.
Today the Nation is suffering
4 tremendous economic loss apart
from the inconvenience arising
from the shortage of coal. The
Truman administration refused to
apply for an injunction until the
crisis reached danger point
Now. In the face Of determined
opposition by rebels against judi
cial authority, the administration
is content with the filing OF a
contempt charge against the
union and a four-day lapse before
any hearing is held on the
charges.
Court Order Flouted.
All last week the courts order
was fouted. No contempt charges
were filed. The evidence was pub
hshed in the press. The miners
held meetings and, in effect, voted
to violate the injunction. News Of
these acts has been broadcast.
Judicial notice apparently could
not be taken of such violations
until the Justice Department was
ready to present evidence to the
court.
Had an act of contempt been
committed before the court, the
Judge would have been empowered
to act Immediately, but, since the
incidents occur far and wide, 1t
is necessary for the evidence to
be presented by the Justice De-
partment as petitioner.
Seemingly, the refusal of the
miners to 60 back to work and
the apparent unwillingness of the
locals to obey the instructions
given them by the miners chief
were not adequate to impress the
administration here that quicker
action could be taken. AS conse-
quence of this slowness, more time
Is wasted and more economic loss
Is inflicted.
The responsibility for pressing
the court to act on the contempt
charges and to mete out fines OF
other punishment to those violat-
ing the Injunction rests squarely
on the administration rather thar
the court.