Show WI S 'S S I P T t di o ik Dest DestE i c. c s f. f E s f. f I t Comment on National I Topics t. t Another Coal Crisis Impending s prudent householders household household- of beginning beginning beginning be be- A ALTHOUGH ers know the importance ginning to accumulate next winters winter's fuel supply In the spring months the average citizen is not likely to ponder the seriousness of a coal strike at any other time than In the dead of winter Tot Yet the quantity of coal used for heating heating- is insignificant compared with the vast amount needed to 10 keep industry and transportation going and t Js is there therefore therefore fore true that a stoppage of fuel production production production pro pro- in the warm season is practically practically I to national just as dangerous welfare as in the winter The Th settlement of the coal strike last December was vas only a truce Since then a by President President Pres Pres- ident iden Wilson and nd consisting of ot three experts representing respectively the operators the miners and the public has hM been trying to find a E basis basi of or lasting agreement Now It reports but it is not unanimous the miners miners' representative disagreeing with theother the theother theother other two Robinson and Peale representing rep rep- r resenting the public and the operators operators operators opera opera- tors says the Birmingham News Dem have haye recommended a general wage advance of ot approximately 25 per cent and that hours and conditions conditions conditions condi condi- of labor Jabor remain unchanged white while Mr White the miners miners' representative representative makes a minority report insisting upon 35 per cent advance and a seven-hour seven day The harmonizing of ot differences apparently comments the Christian Science Monitor Ind Irid is the task still stin before the president as he gives these reports his careful tion But as the days go O by and nothing comes of them talk of a general general gen gen- eral coal strike at the end of ot the current month begins to be bruited about The New York Evening World Dem Dern thinks that unless the miners can bring extremely strong evidence before the public there will be little sympathy with a miners' miners strike now It will savor of greed and nd a disposition disposition disposition tion to question the findings of ot the umpire to demand more than Is fair But the Pittsburg Press Ind md fears that the failure of ot unanimity will be regarded by the White House as a a. failure of th the arbitration As there is ig no lawful way ay of ot enforcing enforcing enforcing en en- forcing its ts divided recommendations the pre Press Iress s a adds ds it is not apparent what the work of ot the commission has contributed t to the settlement of the difficulty A great many opinions coincide with that of ot the Manchester Union Rep that the commission did not sro JO to the roots of ot the coal problem The Union says We Were are re led to b believe that the presidents president's commission was charged with going down to fundamentals and bringing out into the light of ot day the facts regarding the mining industry upon which the public could form reasonably sound and useful judg Judgment nent regarding both wages and c coal prices es Indeed some of ot us us entertained the almost Utopian hope that this great industry was safely on the way to industrial st stability founded on on thor thor- ough and widespread understanding Instead we we have have have-a a wage award award What are some of these fundamentals tais which the commission is ch charged with neglecting One mentioned by bythe bythe bythe the St. St Paul Pioneer Press Ind md Is enforced Idleness Government figures for nine years between 1906 and 1915 omitting the year 1910 says the Pioneer Press show an average working year of only days in the bituminous In iI In- In This is is' is days short of ot a lull full working year Even under war pressure In 1918 the average number of working days in the central competitive competitive com corn field was around The American pe people dont don't propose propose pro pro- pro I pose to pay pay paya a price for coal based on full pay for a year which is is 25 25 33 3 1 or 50 per cent idleness Whosoever Whosoever Who Who- j may be the fault there Is a wrong and ruinous principle which must not be tolerated The New York Globe Ind md dwells on the same point The industry It says Is b bj by miners miners mi mi ml- ners ners and for causes some of which are obviously remediable employs its I workers only about days a av year on the average and it calls caUs this condition condition con con- little Jess ess than a disgrace ce to our national efficiency It also quotes Herbert Hoover as saying that the industry Is functioning badly from froman an engineering and ad consequently froman from from- an economic economic standpoint which means not only a long train of human human human hu hu- hu- hu man misery tl through ough Intermittent employment employment em em- but the economic loss to the community of ot over workers work work- ers who could be applied to other production and the cost of ot coal de decreased decreased decreased de- de creased to the consumer The Lincoln Lincoln Lin IAn coln coin Star Ind also declares that stead steady employment in the wines mines I would mean higher wages and cheaper cheap er coal and that the work w of the commission will b be a failure if this difficulty is not partially remedied The Newport News Record Ind md speaks also of the extraordinary profIts profits profits prof prof- its of the operators as a factor in the the situation If it says the operators operators opera opera- tors tore had been forced to deal fairl fairly with their back in 1917 when they were making fabulous profits amounting in some instances to 2000 per cent the controversy which has been raging raSing for nearly a year would have been avoided As it is Is however most opinions agree with the Albany Argus Ind md Dem that the extra 11 per cent which the majority pt pf of the commission believes belle the miners should get will probably have to come from the pockets pockets pockets pock pock- ets of or the consumers consumer though It cannot cannot cannot can can- not be used as an excuse to saddle upon the public a burden that will Increase profits already large To that extent thinks the Chicago Journal Journal Jour Jour- nal the commissions commission's work has been worth while since It was the plan at first to addle saddle the whole wa wage e raise with extras on the public S Meanwhile 1 operators and miners ml mi ners have been indicted on charges of ot conspiracy to restrict production and it it may be shown the Columbus Dispatch Dispatch Dis Dis- patch Ind mod thinks that in last winters winter's winters win win- ter's teri strike the operators and miners were in collusion and the Lafayette I Journal Courier Ind lad Rep suggests that we ought to await the outcome 1 of these these proceedings before the price I of ot fuel fuet is definitely established upon a higher basis I Newberry's rry's Conviction Senator Newberry e knew the th law l w and violated it with his eyes open It was a gross offense for tor a United States senator senator senator sena sena- tor to commit even accepting his plea that he ho believed the country In danger f fJ J S. S and thought it a patriotic duty to prevent prevent pre pre- ven vent t the election of ot a a. pacifist to the senate Laws were broken more moro tian t an that reason reason rea rea- once during the war var and anil for them did aid son but everyone who broke so at his peril and cannot fairly comI complain com corn plain that the law has avenged Itself in it ha has I his particular case even though singled him out fo for ve vengeance and le let ld others go free tree In convicting Senator Newberry Sandin and Sand andin andin in giving him the tho maximum sentence the court at Grand Rapids Rapids' has also In- In Indicted in indicted I a Jaw aw That the Raising of ot large sums of money for honest hon and l legitimate i mate campaign purposes has been a a custom for tor y years ars everybody knows ItIs ItIs It Itis is regrettable and deserves condemnation tion not because there is ls any guilt or crime e in it It but beca because se It has been shown over and over over- over again again to be he a foolish waste of money and because campaigns can be and have been conducted conducted conducted con con- ducted much better without it Now It is made a crime b but t only a law- law made crime No participant in It feels tC ls any moral guilt or shame No one loses his standing or is shunned by his associates f r it If It it were morally moral moral- ly wrong and nd a crime per se se most of ot our presidents would h have ve had to go to Leavenworth Crimes v that are only such by statute never the conscience conscience conscience con con- science either of the called so-called criminal or the people The senate committee which is s to Inquire int into the charges of ot corruption against Mr Newberry will presumably I ably take cognizance of t the fact tact that th t all al' such charges were exploded in the he course of the trial There was a law which turned a universal practice into a st statutory crime just as as the law could make the bleaching of hair a crime and Mr Newberry knowingly violated it It I was his duty as a citizen an and especially especial especial- ly Iy as a prospective legislator to obey it no matter h how w great he thought the I emergency and no matter m tt r r how silly sUly he may have thought the law t to be That Thatis is th charge against nim nim and it is se- se sious enough as it New Is New York Times es Ind md De Dem Dern L What has made the case case ase especially flagrant S has his been the narrow political l division in the Unit d' d States senate the control of ot which depends for the moment upon the single single- vote of ot Senator Senator Sena Sena- tor Newberry or of ot whoever may be declared entitled to the seat which he occupies It is to be t regretted that this element of partisanship should en enter enter enter en- en ter into the the question at all aU or that it should even be complicated by considerations considerations considerations consid consid- of ot the relative fitness of ot Mr Newberry or his competitor for the of office office ot- ot fice Henry Ford The court at Grand I Rapids happily does not Snot appear to have taken these subsidiary questions into consideration at all So far as one can judge the trial was open and fair and popular popular- opinion will regard the outcome as eminently just It has sustained sustained sus sus- sus- sus tamed the sanctity of ot the law it has bas given a pointed warning to those thos who imagine th that t its wise Ise and necessary prohibitions can can be Ie evaded at will JU and it has established a precedent that should prove a wholesome deterrent in IIi future contests of ot the same sort as that between Newberry and Ford The senate under the existing circumstances cir clr- Is not hot in the least likely to tobe tobe tobe be oversensitive about having upon its roll roB of members a sentenced convict Partisan n consider considerations will prevail to govern senatorial action or Inaction at l least ast until l the the supreme court shall shaUl Meanwhile Meanwhile Mean Mean- finally llY passed on the case have while however Mr Newberry will have the effrontery to see seek to hardly take part in the deliberations of the body into which a a. court and Jury have formally declared he had bought his of ot in contravention way by methods Public Ledger Philadelphia law I Ind md Dema Demand d For Justice Theres There's a noticeable demand the world over for enforcement of ot penalties for violation of ot law particularly in the cases of ot criminals toward whom for a time leniency has been shown There is a call can for the post and in some states the death penalty for burglary burglary bur bur- glary is being urged while In some states there Is demand for tor a n return to death penalty after it had been abel abol abolished for tor a time Criminals are more likely to get long terms than formerly owing ewIng to the state of ot public feeling It cannot be that the public Is is' less sympathetic Uc than formerly or has not as much kindness ss as In the tho day a when from justice or from Ithe the way of ot escape crime I payment of the full penalty of ot seemed easy There Ther are two reasons for forthe the state of feeling as now witnessed The world has passed through a a great war and has bas come to to toa a n new w estimate of ot Justice and Is more disposed to see It prevail Then crime has raged In every part of the world and here inthis in inthis this country numerous cases have been brought to public notice cases ases of ot burglary burglary burglary bur bur- glary holdups and murders resulting from them It Is not strange that people people peo peo- pIe pl-e should view the the punishment of ot crime differently and demand that of offenders of- of fenders against law shall shan pay the full fun penalty of ot their of offenses tenses and be placed where they will no longer menace so so- so Youngstown Youngstown Vindicator Dem Dam Equality S S For All Equality for all when all when as a a matter matter matter mat mat- ter of ot fact in all an nature and in all history history his his- tory as far as we we- know in the life lite to come there is no no such thing as absolute absolute absolute lute equality It is as ridiculous for formen formen formen men to desire and struggle for tor equality In limousines libraries and Corots as as' as to demand equality in the length of noses noses color of ot hair or avoirdupois Man Is equal neither in his Features or form nor In his appreciation of ot art science or even animal comfort There is one equality and one equality only due to every human humai being that being that thatis is an equality of opportunity Equality Equal Equal- ity of ot opportunity to secure what each individual man needs not what he thinks he needs because others have It This distinction is one whIch h is missed by many on both sides of ot the senseless struggle between capital and labor Dr Johnson once remarked It is better that some should be unhappy than that none should be happy which would be the case in a general state of equality This rather remarkable remarkable- sentence bears scrutiny Let no man think he will be happy when he has what others have instead of what he naturally in his stratum of development requires A silk slUt shirt Is an absolute nonessential nonessential nonessential to either a capitalist or a laborer Yet it is silk shirts and silk shirt demands demands demands de de- de- de mands for tor which labor is striving Let us get down to the equality ol ot opportunity platform Its planks are few but strong enough to support the world If It one half the money in agitation agitation agitation tion and protection could be put into education tie e first step in solving th the problem of ot equality would be made made New York Commercial Ind md |