| Show UTAH STRIKE A IV PREPARES ARES FOB INDuSTRIAL CRISiS UNION CHIEF ASSAILS PRESIDENTS PRESIDENT'S PR TS T'S A UDE ATTACK I 1 IMAO MAO MADE ON Wil ON John L. L Lewis vis Leader of Miners lV Charges Charges' Attempt to Enforce Enforce- Sanctified Peonage INDIANAPOLIS Oct 30 A. A A. A INDIANAPOLIs 1 dire direct t attack upon President I Wilsons Wilson's course in the coal strike sit situation ati n- n nas as as the th climax q of long series f attempted lS Of made today 9 L If U van pct president of t 9 b boW ld Alii Workers V of Oe d a 7 h ef oh cam cant camIn camIn In a long telegram tb Secretary of L.- L. bor Wilson replying to a message from from him delivered to the conference here hen yesterday esterday of some score of offic ila aki and leaders of ot the union The telegram constituted th the i f fi d i q t c exchange of views between the administration admin and the union While ih tho telegram from S Secretary Wilson reached here yesterday esterday the r reply ply wa was not completed until today when It v wa was is submitted to the executive board h l ho President Lewis It h was announced ll that the reply was was approved by unanimous unan unan- voe oe Union headquarters re refused rt r- fused to give out the secretary's mes mes- message sage saying Its publication was WIlS something something something some some- thing for tor the sender to approve SUGGESTS CONFERENCE The reply Indicated that the secretary secretary secre secre- secretary tary offered to call a conference of or the thA th miners and employers which offer otter was accepted in the following language We Ve shall hold ourselves In readiness to attend any Joint conference which may be bo arranged by yup upon fair basis and stand ready to reconvene eno tho the international convention of ot our union whenever your our scale committee has received re received re- re d an honora honorable le proposition f for tor r II presentation to such uch h convention THE TELEGRAM The telegram to Secretary Wil Wilson on follows Your telegram twenty-ninth twenty im instant tant was read by me to assembled confer I i ence of members of our International executive board scale committee of central field and competitive presidents president of our various districts yesterday esterday On Ott behalf of conference 1 i am authorized to too tomake make you this reply Scale committee representing t 1 iii United Mine lIne Workers convened with operators of central competitive field fit at Buffalo September 25 and presented to t operators the wage demands as formulated formu form formulated 11 by our international convention which was thoroughly representative of the views of our membership OP i I- I declined to consider the merits merits' of or our demands and refused to nt negotiate on a basis balls which would be productive productive productive pro pro- of any results After one werle 11 adjournment was taken to reconvene in Philadelphia October 9 and joint session of three da days day's 9 was held in that city FUTILE EFFORTS Miners 1 representatives made every evry effort to negotiate agreement but wei wets a amet met b by uncompromising refusal of or coal coat operators to consider merits of ot our position po po- po At that time no strike order was In effect and none would have hav been n Issued had there been any constructs constructive a suggestions of ot a Ii competent nature of offered offered offered of- of by the coal operators Miners left Philadelphia conference with deepest deepest deepest deep deep- est reluctance and heavy hearts Later Op oat when we were called Into confer confer- race r- r ace M c by yourself at Washington ton day l Vy y day we ire reiterated we were anxious amlous and ADd willing to go into Joint negotiations negotiations without reservations having in m mind only Interests of ot our people for tor purpose of ot negotiating wage a agreement agree agree- ment which would avert strike In bituminous bi hi hi luminous industry Our positions remains th the same to tog day We shall hold ourselves In rad readi- readi readiness ness to tb to attend any Joint c a which may be arranged hy by l v you ou 1 upon fair basis and stand read to reconvene recon vene international convention of i t lur ur or organization whenever our scale committee committee committee com com- has received an Continued on page Tage 10 j 11 1 RI I U j i T TOMORROW M HR W WI I HJ I Executive Officers of Mine Workers Meet tt to the Final Finali Arrange l i Details of Walkout y Continued from rom page 1 1 proposition for tor presentation to such convention ASSAILS WILSON Permit me to say to y you U sir he the unprecedented and unwarranted cUm action cUmor of or cabinet and president of or the United States In issuing statement of ot Saturday Saturday Satur day last has done more t to prevent satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory sat sat- settlement of or Impending strike and working out of ot wage waN agreement agreement agreement agree agree- ment than any other element h has bas entered into situation The Tho presidents president's presidents president's dents dent's statement Is a fiercely partisan document because It attacks attack I the In Intention intention in- in of or the mine workers worker without even suggesting that mine operators may have brought about this un unhappy appy situation and further because threat Is made to exercise full force of nr government government govern govern- ment to prevent stoppage of or work without any corresponding threat to exert full force of government to enforce enforce enforce en en- force fair tair working conditions a id d a living wage FOR SQUARE DEAL It Is indeed a sad commentary upon principles of square dealing v Ien president of the United States and his cabinet by unanimous vote ally themselves them Ulem- selves with sinister financial interests which seek to deny Justice to labor and precipitate our Sour country Into industrial turmoil The president states states- The rhe workers mine workers workers' projected strike is not only unjustifiable but unlawful He lie states further It Is wrong wrong both morally lorall and legal legally In other words the president says it Is a a. crime for the miners to strike and threatens punishment punishment punish punish- ment for the crime May la I point out to you ou that under laws of United States be beyond ond any presidential amendment or tin till It Is not a crime to strike it cannot be bo made a a. crime to strike and that an m in individual individual individual in- in cannot be punished for tor e rik- rik Ing as for the commission of a crime NOT A MASTER The president of ot the United States Is the servant and not the master maste cf f the constitution The constitution Is s the supreme law of the land In the Interpretation and application of ot he lie lieN I j constitution the decisions of the mI su- su N erne eme court are final authority I. I 1 rhe 6 pr presidents president's statement of Octo- Octo i 1919 threatens invasion of con con- I A. A and Inalienable rights of American citizens It Is the climate of a a. long series of ot attempted s of executive power The presidential statement announced announced announced an an- as Its excuse for threatening Invasion of constitutional rights that the war itself Is still a fact tact Two days das later however In a message to congress the president refused to approve of ot enforcement of ot an act which he said was passed by reason of the emergency of war and whose objects have been satisfied in the de demobilization demobilization demobilization de- de mobilization of ot the tho army and navy nan If It the president was right on Monday I submit sir that he was wrong on Saturday DENIED PROTECTION t f The presidential edict threatens tor to r deny to mine workers protection of ot Both the thirteenth and fourteenth i amendments to to the constitution They if te e threatened with Involuntary servitude servitude servitude servi servi- tude by the presidential attempt attempt tomake to tomake tomake make a a. refusal to work Individually or collectively a a. crime This despite the supreme court has repeatedly held that under these amendments a laborer cannot be forced even under guise of ot a contract oblIgation obligation obligation obliga oblIga- tion to render involuntary service The supreme court of ot the United States has always asserted th there re Is no more Important concern than to safeguard the freedom fret of ot labor upon which alone can enduring prosperity be based CALLS IT PEONAGE I It n i is difficult to believe that the president would have Issued such a document had he been physically capable cn- cn ca capable pable of obtaining firsthand Information Information tion and of ot exercising his own uninfluenced uninfluenced un un- influenced intelligence In this most important important important im im- im- im problem Yet his statement of October 25 threatens the mine mineworkers mIneworkers mineworkers workers with a a. sanctified peonage demands that they perform involuntary Involuntary tary service proclaims a refusal to bea be bea a a. crime when no such crime exists nor can such a a. crime be defined under under under un un- un- un der the constitution The right and the duty rests upon free tree American labor to to maintain unimpaired unimpaired unimpaired un un- impaired the constitutional privileges and guarantees of ot all American citi citi- zens The United Mine MIno Workers of ot America believe the great majority of our citizenship will resent any trespass trespass trespass tres tres- pass upon these principles Signed JOHN JOliN L. L LEWIS President United Mine Workers of America COMPLETING PLANS Backed by sentiment displayed In InI yesterdays yesterday's conference of officials of I the tho union executive board of United Mine Workers of ot America met here to today today today to- to day to tin finish Ish preparatory work incidental Incidental Inci inci- dental to the coming strike strife of bituminous bituminous bituminous coal miners No development could avert a strike It was stated but some changes in the attitude of the theo o operators might result in the shortenIng shortening shortening shorten shorten- ing of or the according to union men A few of It the district presidents and members of ot the scale committee re remained remained remained re- re over for today's meeting me but most of ot them were en route to their home districts to direct the locals in inputting inputting inputting putting the strike Into effect The two dozen members of the tho executive board were left to clear the decks for action THEIR STATEMENT Union officials were still inclined today today to today to- to day to rest their case on the statement Issued last night by the conference e. In that statement the attitude of the federal federal federal fed fed- eral administration was said to have received earnest but the union leaders pointed out that Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington had been silent so far as they were officially concerned and that they had been compelled to depend upon newspaper accounts for their knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge edle of ot President Wilsons Wilson's attitude The organization retained also Its receptive mood so far as overtures for tor negotiations with th the operators were concerned In fact tact the statement placed the blame for the strike flatly upon the mine owners' owners shoulders and asserted that they alone were responsible responsible responsible sible for tor the unprecedented situation which confronts industry READY TO ARBITRATE Had the operators followed the traditions traditions traditions tra tra- of ot the coal mining Industry and agreed to talk across the table an agreement probably could have been reached in the weeks Intervening between between be between be- be tween the Cleveland convention and the strike date the union men said The statement In language so terse at times as to be almost cryptic denied that the strike was Illegal in any sense stated that the executive board had no power to override the decisions of ot the international convention and refuted charges of ot ulterior motives In the unions union's policy MEN INVOLVED Throughout the document also was the constant reiteration of ot a willingness willingness willing willing- ness to negotiate and it set forth that all of ot the dem demands including those for tor 60 per cent Increases in wages and the thirty-hour thirty week were subject to ne negotiation ne- ne More than bituminous miners will be affected by the strike order and an immediate and complete of the soft sott coal Industry is predicted by bythe bythe bythe the union leaders They expressed confidence that several thousand nonunion nonunion nonunion non non- union miners would follow the organized organIzed organized organ organ- men in their walkout Dealers Stop Taking Orders SPRINGFIELD Ill m. Oct 30 Mining Mining of ot soft sott coal at th the rate of ot approximately approximately approximately tons a year will cease In ini Illinois third largest bituminous coal producing state in the Union and miners will be Idle when the miners' miners strike order becomes effective at midnight Friday The figures were furnished here to today today today to- to day at miners' miners state headquarters and at the Illinois department of mines and minerals Reports from various parts of ot the state indicate that efforts of ot IndustrIes Industries industries Indus Indus- tries particularly smaller consumers and individuals to obtain coal before the shutdown have reached panic proportions proportions proportions pro pro- portions in some Dealers swamped with orders It Is said are refusing to take on more business business business busi busi- ness and drivers who go to the mines to haul away coal by the load are forced to wait walt hours for tor a turn at the tho chutes I Wilson Urged NotTo Not NotTo To Call Out Troops PHOENIX Ariz Oct 30 President President Wilson was urged not to call call out the I I military forces of ot the nation for tor duty I in connection with the soft coal strike set for November 1 I in a a. telegram sent I him last night by the Arizona State i Federation of ot Labor holding annual convention here The con en- en n- n i tion also sent a a. telegram to John John L. L Lewis acting president of ot the United Unite d. d I Mine Workers s of ot America indorsing the strike and pledging Its support to the strikers I The convention passed a resolution protesting against the Imprisonment of ot I Eugene V. V Debs Ready to I Walk Out in Two States PITTSBURG Pa Oct 30 The Tho Tho dawn of ot Saturday Saturday- will find tind more than coal miners of ot western and central central central cen cen- Pennsylvania and West Yest Virginia on strike according to officers of ot the United Mine lIne Workers of America In Inthe inthe the two districts who nave declared that the men w wm lil obey orders of ot their I leaders to walk out Group of Miners Calls for Referendum BIRMINGHAM BIR Ala Oct 30 Union Union miners In Jasper county met today to take a vote on the question of ot obeyIng obeying obeying obey obey- ing the call for tor a strike of ot bituminous mine workers Saturday The meetIng meeting meeting meet- meet Ing was forced bj by a a. number of ot miners mi miners miners mi- mi ners who Insisted th they would not walk out until a referendum had been taken |
