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Show GOVERNMENT TO PRESS COAL STRIKE INJUNCTION , I I- ; i "I EFFORTS TO El TROUBLE ABE FUTILE Attorney General Palmer Palm-er Says Men Must First Return to Work; Gom-pers Gom-pers Pleads in Vain. Proceedings to Be Prosecuted Pros-ecuted in Federal Court in Indianapolis, Department Declares. WASHINGTON, Nov. 1. Eleventh hour efforts by Samuel Gompers to settle the coal strike were met tonight by empfiatlo declaration from the government that injunction in-junction -proceedings would be dismissed the instant tho striko order was with- , drawn and not before. This final decision was given to Mr. Gompers, heading a delegation of high ' labor officials, at the close of the third conference of the day with Attorney General Gen-eral Palmer, and after Mr. Gompers had talked over the telephone with John L. .' J,cw)s, acting head of the United Mine Workers of America, at Indianapolis. Mr. Gompers, fighting hard to have the government drop its injunction suit set for a hearing tomorrow, plainly showed that ho was under a severe strain as he left the department of 'justice, flatly and bluntly refusing to say one word about tho three conferences or hope of . curling tho strike of more than -100,000 miners beforo the United States could - press its suit against officers of the mln-i mln-i ers' organization. Attorney General Palmer, to whom Mr. Gompers referred all requests for information, infor-mation, refused to see newspaper men. "Mr. Palmer wishes me to say that he will have no statement tonight other than that be made as he left the cabinet meet- - lug,' his secretary announced. BRIEF STATEMENT MADE BY PALMER. Thero were only eighteen words in the Statement Mr. Palmer dictated to newspaper news-paper men as he left the White house after tho cabinet meeting and an earlier ' conference with President Wilson. "Tho injunction proceedings against the coal miners' leaders will be dismissed the instant tho strike ordor is recalled," said tho attorney general, and his utterance stood tonight as tho finol word from tho government on the evo of what may prove the beginning tomorrow of the greatest labor union litigation in tho history of tli1 country. Through the day. although it was on the lip of all offleUU Washington that the gov-eminent gov-eminent and the miners were considering new plans lor ending the struggle without with-out further resort to law, the feeling ,Krow that hearing on the restraining ordor, or-dor, set for tomorrow morning in the federal fed-eral court before Judge Anderson at Indianapolis, In-dianapolis, would be postponed "without prejudice to either side. The department of justice will not ask for a postponement, but whether it might oppose tho request If miners asked for more time, not an unusual proceeding, of-MclMs of-MclMs declined to say. MUST STOP STRIKE. SAYS ATTORNEY GENERAL. "The only thing that can stop the pro-coding pro-coding started by the United States is Tor tho miners to call off the strike." the attorney general reiterated time and again Hefore Mr. Palmer went to the cHblnet "acting. Samuel Gompers. Matthew Woil hum Frank Morrison culled on him and "r-v informed that the government hod "! altered Its decision to press Injunction Injunc-tion proceedings unless the strike order was withdrawn. .Mr. Gompers expressed the opinion that i spttleimmt of the strike could not be reached if the government enforced legal measures against the strike. He aNo again railed attention to what he said would be tho effect of government bv injunction in-junction upon organized labor generallv W hon Mr. Palmer left the cabinet meeting meet-ing he reiterated that the Injunction nro-'.erhnKs nro-'.erhnKs would bo withdrawn the tttsfint tup officials of the miners' union colled off the strike. Mr. Palmer hurried to his office, where he way to have another conference with Gompers, WoU and Morrison. None of the members of the cabinet . would say what happened at the meeting. hen asked Secretary Glass of the trra-' trra-' Bury waved his hand and said smilingly Just an hour and a half wasted ' GOMPERS PERSISTENT IN PEACE EFFORTS. The persistency with which Mr Gompers Gom-pers presented plea after plea to the attorney at-torney Kcneral Indicated his earnest desire de-sire to brlns: peace to the coal fields before be-fore the battle Is waged more heatedly In the federal courts. Accompanied bv Matthew WoU. vice president, and Frank Morrison, secretary of the American Federation Fed-eration ot Uiuor. Mr. Gompers saw Mr v, ,.K'',bcf0l'e, lhc !aUer went to tlie v hlle House for a word with the president presi-dent and to outline the strike situation to the cabinet. The second meeting took place imincrii-I imincrii-I "civ after the cabinet session adjourned. (Continued on Page 12, Column 2.) j EFFORTS 10 END TROUBLE IRE FUTILE (Continued From Fage One.) It lasted an hour, and when the labor leaders departed they were far more cheerful than they seemed tonigr.t. Mr. Gompers told the attorney general they would return later, and Mr. Palmer Intimated Inti-mated that Mr. Gompers would talK meanwhile with Lewis. Somebody asked Mr. Gompers as he was entering the elevator, after his third conference, if he had talked with Lewis. He wheeled about and snapped out that he would not answer that and would not say anything at all about any of the conferences con-ferences or the strike. Various theories were advanced as to the apparent difference in the attitude of the labor leaders after the second and third conferences. Returning to his 01-fice 01-fice tonight, Mr. Gompers remained there for several hours and was in communication communica-tion with labor officials here and elsewhere. else-where. POLICY HAS SUPPORT OF ENTIRE CABINET. The standpat policy of the government and its determination, as one official expressed ex-pressed It, "to go through with the injunction in-junction suit," still has the undivided support sup-port of the cabinet, it was said, and the absolute approval of President Wilson. The widely current reports that Secretary of Labor Wilson, himseif a miner, had strongly opposed court action, were not denied," but it was emphasized that the cabinet was unanimous against with- drawal or the restraining order unless me strike was called off. There was no word from the operators, the other party to the struggle, and, while reports from their agents indicated slight gains in the number of mines working in West Virginia, there was no change in the general situation. Director General Gen-eral Hines and Fuel Administrator Garfield Gar-field explained to the cabinet what they had done to get coal to the districts where most needed, and detailed reports of production pro-duction since the strike started, a week ago tonight, were presented, but not made public. But in spite of the absence of this Information In-formation it was admitted that the nation's na-tion's coal pile was decreasing, and officials offi-cials scanned weather maps to find out whether any real cold wave was on the way. No attempt was made to hide the feeling that the situation was serious seri-ous and would quickly become critical unless some way were found to get the strikers back to the mines. |