Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-10-28 | Page 11 | Government Ready to Combat Strike to Fullest Extent

GOVERNMENT READY TO COMBAT STRIKE TO FULLEST EXT EN J WASHINGTON, Oct. 27. The govern- : merit stood pat today on President WIN . son's ultimatum to the soft coal miners ! of the country that the strike ordered lor November 1 must not take place. The w-hole federal machinery , ah1' ady i set up for the emergency, was ready to ' deal with conditions in the mining fields unless the executive board of the United Mine Workers of America, meeting at Indianapolis Wednesday, votes to rescind the strike order. I n the face of statements by Job n L. Lewis, president of the miners' organization, organiza-tion, that u was too late now to stop the walkout, there was strong belief in official offi-cial quarters tonight that the strike would a t least be postponed. This hope ot averting industrial disaster was based kargeiy on the feeling that sentiment throughout the. country was overwhelmingly overwhelm-ingly for peace, i e sard! ess of how t lie peonle might view tiie reported grievances of the miners, The fact that 1 he miners themselves had taken no strike vote added to tlie hope in t he minds of officials tha t the workers would be duly impressed by the president's strong warning and, looking at it in a new litzht, willing to negotiate a new wage agreement without reservation. reserva-tion. There were many conferences during the day and much attention was given confidential reports from government agents in the coal field territory bearing on the possibility of a large number of the men sticking to their jobs despite the order to quit work Friday night. Attorney General Palmer and Secretary of Labor Wilson talked over tne situation : and outlined a plan of action which will j be presented to the cabinet tomorrow. Members of the cabinet, while declining to discuss any phase of the impending strike, showed they were grimly determined deter-mined to stand out for the rights of the public, which would be ruthlessly ignored with the shutting down of the mines. Strikers Get First Relief. PITTSBURGH, Pa.. Oct. 27. Step strikers in need of food were today given their first relief through tiie commissary bureau of the nat ional committee. The distribution was small, according to strike headquarters here, but sufficient to prove the utility of the system. U was said that only those who actu-allv actu-allv needed relief would be aided. There was elation at headquarters this afternoon when the news came from New York that members of the international garment workers' association had been assessed ?2 for tlie rationing fund of tiie strikers. The Carnegie Steel company today reported re-ported the Homestead Mill S3. 3 per cent in operation, cighj blast furnaces working in liraddock, and an Improved labor condition con-dition in Clairton. Youngstown also was doing better, representatives of the com-