| OCR Text |
Show COMMISSION IS PROPOSED Gompers and Stone, Brotherhood Chief, Laboring La-boring to Bring About Discussion of Trouble. Government by Injunction Injunc-tion Deplored in Statement State-ment by Advisory Body of Railway Engineers. By ARTHUR SEARS HENNIN6.) (Chicago Tribune Special Service. 1 ' WASHINGTON, Nov. 2. Further efforts ef-forts by the leaders of organized labor to effect a settlement of the coal miners' strike by arbitration, before the hearing on the permanent injunction sought by the government, were put forth here to-day. to-day. President Gompers of the .Anier(c;in Federation of Labor and Warren '. S. Stone, head of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Loco-motive Engineers, arc endeavoring to bring John L. Lewis, acting president of the United Mine Workers, into conference con-ference hero with Secretary of Labor Wilson on the settlement proposition, which involves arbitration of the illsptit between the miners and the operators by a commission of five members appointed ap-pointed by President Wilson. After long-distance telephone talks with Lewis yesterday, in which they are said to have stressed the dangers of permitting permit-ting the government to break a strike by Injunction proceedings, both Mr. Gompers and Mr. Stone wero confident that the miners' leader would come to Washington for the conference. INJUNCTION PLANS MEET OPPOSITION. In line with these efforts to bring about arbitration, the advlBory board of the engineers' brotherhood e.aino forward today with a proposal for settling not only the mine strike, but other industrial indus-trial conflicts as well. Condemning government by Injunction as likely to "make conditions worse and defer, if not defeat, a peaceful settlement"; settle-ment"; asserting that Industrial warfare and the high cost of living have produced pro-duced "this mosl serious crisis in the history of our country," but contending that "tht?ro Is no Industrial dispute or mi sunders Landing t hat cannot be adjusted adjust-ed upon a basis of Justice and right." the advisory board In a formal stall ment proposed the creation of a national Industrial In-dustrial commission to bring about peace between capita) and labor. At the same time, Attorney General Palmer took occasion to rritf-ratV that tho injunction was sought "solely In the general gen-eral public Interest." when he made public pub-lic correspondence with the wholesale coal trade association of New Yor,k which protested against maximum price and the priority regulations affecting coal during the strike. PROFITEERS ARE FACING SWIFT PUNISHMENT. The attorney general rebuked the dealers deal-ers as would-be profiteers and said he would proceed again fit any conspiracy of employers as .quickly as he has against the miners. The poace appeal of the railway brotherhood broth-erhood was prepared at a meeting of the advisory hoard las', night , which was called by Mr. ttone following hit; lonp distance telephonr talk wfth Lewis, hi which the engineers' leader urged acceptance ac-ceptance of Pre nldent Wilson's of for to appoint a coimnlp3ion to net t le tho differences dif-ferences between the miners and the operators. op-erators. Thereupon tho advisory board dlHniHppd the situation with Mr. Stone and formulated formu-lated itK views of the way to obtain industrial in-dustrial peaca. The members wero unanimously of the opinion that an Industrial In-dustrial coimnlsyioii should Mart with a r cognition of the right of collective bargaining, bar-gaining, which would bo tantamount to a recognition of trade unionism. The board's public statement follows: TEXT OF BOARD'S PUBLIC STATEMENT. "In view of the conditions facing our country at this time, which. In uur judgment, judg-ment, is far more serious than during the latt war. Inasmuch av-. it affects all classes of people, atid in consideration of tho situation, the advisory board of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Lnglneerv. assembled at Washington, formulated tho following decla ration of principles: "The advisory board of locomotive engineers, en-gineers, the undoubted A merlcanh,m of whose membership t-hould assure them recognition not only by the government, but every factor contributing to the welfare wel-fare of all the peopl':, believe that: ' "The Industrial conditions now confronting con-fronting the nation, with capital and labor la-bor occupying a militant attitude toward each other, while the whole country is suffering from the high cost of Hvliv- ' (Continued on Page 3, Column 2.) INDUSTRIAL BOARD IS 'PROPOSED (Continued Prom Page One.) caused bv hoarding and profiteering resulting re-sulting iii general conditions which tend to lower production, has brought about the most serious cri3is in the history of our country. "We believe: "That there is no industrial dispute or misunderstanding that cannot be adjusted adjust-ed upon a basis of justice and right, and we further believe that In seeking Justice, Jus-tice, justice should be practiced by all concerned. FEDERAL COURT ACTION MEETS DISAPPROVAL. "We believe In the laws and institutions of our country which guarantee that all the people shall have equal opportunity and a fair and impartial hearing before being condemned. We deplore the action of the federal government in its present attempt at government by injunction, believing be-lieving such action will only tend -to make conditions worse and defer, if not defeat, a peaceful settlement. "The advisory board have full assurance assur-ance that we express the unanimous sentiment sen-timent of the 85,000 members of our organization, or-ganization, that the principle of collective collec-tive bargaining is of vital importance to them and cannot be construed as harmful harm-ful to any interest who desires to be just and fair. As a remedy for the present turbulent conditions, we suggest that immediate im-mediate steps be taken to assemble at Washington an industrial commission that will recognize the rights of all citizens citi-zens and is not pledged to oppose collective col-lective bargaining, as this is a time for deliberate action on the part of all concerned con-cerned In a peaceful solution of the present pres-ent conditions. "We pledge the support of our organization organ-ization to the government In every just and reasonable effort toward stabilizing industrial conditions, to the end that normal nor-mal conditions be restored. "We believe that If such a policy is adopted, reason and justice will take the place of passion, and the autocratic and militant attitude now being displayed, in which event a successful and permanent adjustment of the relations between capital cap-ital and labor, which vitally concerns all tho people, could be hoped for." Fears Are Entertained. Labor leaders have well defined fears of the dangers of the government demonstrating demon-strating that a great strike can be broken brok-en by injunction. If the plan succeeds in the miners' strike it might succeed in a railroad strike. Organized labor obtained ob-tained a limitation of the use of injunctions injunc-tions in the Clayton act, but that related re-lated to Injunctions sought by employers and not to injunctions sought by the gov-, gov-, ernment for the protection of tho public interest. Attorney General Palmer's threat to proceed against any conspiracy of the operators was elicited by the following letter ho received from W. A. Marshall, president of the New York Wholesale Coal Trade association: "The fact that there is no present general gen-eral shortage of coal and that if the miners min-ers who want to work are given protection protec-tion by the government they will work, leads us to make the following statement and recommendations: " 'First, with proper police or troop protection there will be a sufficient number num-ber of miners who will be willing to continue con-tinue at work to Insure, with present stocks, an adequate supply to meet the emergency created by the strike. " 'Second, fixing a maximum price will curtail the operators' ability to meet the I abnormal production costs caused by the strike and will discourage the operators in their efforts to produce coal. Marshall's Proposals. " 'Third, the law of supply and demand will take care of distribution better than any theoretical program. " We are not now confronted with a war-time condition, but one in which tho demand for coal is normal, and will continue con-tinue so, if the public is assured of protection pro-tection to miners to enable them to produce, pro-duce, and non-interference by government govern-ment departments In the matter of distribution.. dis-tribution.. " 'Fourth, the putting into effect of priority lists will result in unnecessarily over-stocking some consumers and allowing allow-ing others to go without. Fifth, if there are attempts at profiteering, the machinery provided under un-der the recent amendments to the Lever law may be used to prevent the same. " 'We recommend that the miners be given protection so that they may work in safety and., that the consumers of coal be allowed to procure the same through the usual, normal channels, without interference in-terference from government departments, or the railroad administration.' " The attorney general's reply sent today follows- "I am in receipt of your circular letter of October SI, 1919, and am amazed by its contents. "While, of course," proper protection will be given . to miners who are willing to continue . at work, it must be perfectly plain to you that even under such conditions condi-tions the supply of coal must be far from normal. Your proposition amounts, In effect, to a declaration that coal dealers deal-ers should be permitted to take advantage advan-tage of these abnormal conditions and have their prices based entirely upon the law of supply and demand, which Is only another way of saying that they should be permitted to chargo the public whatever what-ever they please. Warning by Palmer. "The demand for fuel will be constantly increasing, and with the supply decreasing, decreas-ing, unless t lie re is government regulation, regula-tion, prices charged to the public will be outrageous and the profits accruing to dealers unconscionable. You ought to be quite as willing as other citizens to co- operate in the general pubno welfare in this emergency, even to the extent of sacrificing profits. "The action of the government in restraining re-straining the officers of the mine workers' work-ers' union from furthering the strike order or-der already issued, was taken solely in the general public Interest, and I shall not permit It to be used directly, or indirectly, in-directly, for the. benefit of the employers' employ-ers' side of the controversy. If advantage advan-tage shall be taken of present conditions by any arrangement or agreement of two or more persons to restrict either production pro-duction or distribution in order to enhance en-hance the price of fuel, I shall, without hesitation, take precisely the same action against such persons as has been taken against the officers of the mine workers' union." |
