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Show THE MENACE OF A COAL STRIKE. Thero Is something radically wrong In conditions which permit any com-mlteo com-mlteo or set of men, capitalists or working men, says the New York Journal ot Commerce, "to suspend an Important Industry of the country for even a day." And much the same opinion comes from many another source at this crisis In the coal regions. re-gions. No sympathy whatever seems 1 to exist In the public mind and heart j for the miners. It seems unlikely, too, at this writing, that the President will Intervene In this instance. The New Yorfc Sun Is no friend of organized organiz-ed labor, but the opinions It expresses concerning the coal situation seem to be echoed pretty largely througti- i. out the country, excepting, of course, i the labor press. Says The Sun: "It Is to iho Interest of the consumers, consum-ers, tint Is, of the great majority of i the people, that coal shall continue to I be mined. It will continue to be mined If tho authorities, local, county, and 1 state, do their duty. They must pre vent disorder and protect non-union workmen, by force If necessary, by all the armed force of the state If necessary. neces-sary. "This elementary duty was not per- ! formed In the last anthracite strike. 1 This yenr there Is no sympathetic pub lic sentlmentnllty upon which weak-kneed weak-kneed offlclals can rely In winking at ', violence. The public has learned something since 1902. It sympathizes J with Itself. Tho law Is not on strike. It must keep at work. It must work ; harder than ever." r By maintaining the principle of open shop, thinks tho New York Evening Post, "the operators are upholding one I of tho fundamentals of a democracy." The press express Indignation at the j utter disregard both miners and opera- tors have shown the public. "The gen eral public," says the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Globe-Democrat, "whoso Interests are ostentatiously osten-tatiously Ignored by both tne miners and operators, have a profound concern con-cern In this trouble." Tho public Is already footlnp the bills. As tho New York "World observes, to retail deal- j ers tho strlko is nothing but an op portunity "to rako In more dollnrs for I themselves." Tho one thing left the consumer Is to pay. To cut oft the j supply of 05,000 000 tons of nnthracltp H and several times that amount of bit- 1. umlnous coal, thinks tho Phlladelphln Frees, "would bo a hardship that would pinch every homo and every 1 factory In the United States." This adds The Press, "Is a time for sane counsel." Unless sane counsel pre-vlnls pre-vlnls others besides the consumer will suffer. Tho "monopoly of labor," in tho opinion of the New York Journal of Commerce, will also suffer. To quote: "Wo do not believe for a moment that It can succeed In its purpose. The forces of competition are too strong for tho cohesion of any such vast body of workmen long enough to effect such a colossal object. The combination is sure to go to pieces under tho attempt, at-tempt, but In the meantime vast In-Jury In-Jury may bo done. Capital may suffer suf-fer losses, labor may sacrifice Itself and bo sacrificed, industries may bo temporarily disorganized and traffic interrupted, and disastrous consequences consequen-ces may bo entailed upon tho whole mass of tho people. The sympathy or tho public, tho power of opinion, tho authority and influence of government within the range of its jurisdiction, should bo against any such conspiracy conspira-cy for tho death of competition and the triumph of monopoly Is ono of the great 'basic' industries of the country." coun-try." - - " |