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Show COAL CONFERENCE IS A FAILURE Miners and Operators Spend Bleak Thanksgiving in Bitter Debate. WASHINGTON', Nov. SIT. An abrupt fond mine late todiy to all attempts lo , peaceful iBTeeneiiti Miners nnd operators spent bleak I Thanksgiving afternoon In embittered .debate ovei the government proposal for . i fri'itpr-n pn i ont tragi Increase inade last nipht bj Fuel Administrator Garfield Gar-field rejcet-d It and every other pfOJKMal i that was forlheomlnR and then dissolved, sire die. , rank, pants went home tonight and , where ihe break i ft coal strike conditions condi-tions no one of t hn: . miner or operator, would By. Likewise In official quarters ' t hero was slim' e. .' imp President John T.. Lewis of ih4 I mine workers. though refusing to la) ! one, xvonj as to the atriko itself, which I theoretical I) was called off in obedience I to federal Judge Vndaraon'a Injunction I holding it a violation of the Lever act for war time food and fuel control, sco red 1 ' llio coi eminent iwinnrilv I I Via mnnlualnm ; 1 I of the conference. So did William Green ' secretary of the miners; Operators though accepting the gov- 1 I ernmenl proposal definitely in a letter I j of explanation to Dr. Garfield, which they mgde public Intimated thai th- government refusal to allow price increases in-creases would bear reconsideration. It was behind Closed dors that the eoal j situation reached c.h climax today after Involving Hie full attention i,f the fed- ' erai government for two days previously, j There was mm h heated oratory hut j T. W Guthrie, of Pittsburg, acting hair-man hair-man of the operators' committee, de- -.,'iiliprl llif rmilhi mMilm nmiuDiiM inn Inftly as he came one. The operators n by a pre-arranged plan, notified the miners' committee for the central coin petitive field of their acceptance of Dr. ,ai field's plan. This the miners promptly voted dOWTI In tuin. tin- miners put forward a count' r proposal that Secretary Wilson's suggestion sug-gestion for a .11.6(5 per cent wage Increase, he granted and this the opera tors flatly refused. For the third time, the operators opera-tors renewed their formal offer of nrh:-(ration, nrh:-(ration, and this the miners turned dovn. rnRiiimoualy i.r. adjournment was voteo. Operator Pretend to Accept The operators are pretending to accept ac-cept Dr. Garflt-ld'a proposal," Mr Lewis said, manifesting acorn and Indignation as be called the newspaper men around him In the nr-o. hnll that was the scene of the all-day gathering ' Hut aa the) do it they state they are unable to operate many of the mines under It. It would he foolish for ua lo :ittenipt to make an agreement unless miners arc to be given work. Their position Is unchanged. "We hoi 1 the l nlted States government cannot break ita word. The pledge of Secretary Wilson to grant us thirty. one per r,.n Increase must he redeemed In my Judgment, Dr. Garfield and the cabinet have committed the most colossal blunder In the history of our nation. They arc blindly following an academic theory without regard to Justice to the mine workers or effects on the people of the United states. Responalblllty For Crljli ' Respopalbility for the crisis now confronting con-fronting the nation musl I o With those Statesmen using the powers of government govern-ment to oppress and deny Justice to a great clement of its citizenship directly oncerned in industry 'I cannot believe the people of our country Will endorse BUCh policy of op prcaslon and repression, which means continued industrial chaos and intense I suffering on the part of the mine workers ;ind our citizenship " wnii thai Lewis brushed away all I Questioners. Ills associates, howevoi, confirmed the Impression that there i would be no resumption of work In the mining mmps now closed. Operators, less communicative, went away with varying resolutions One nr two had reached a determination tie i said, to attempt production regardless of the strikers but most of them were I, i doubt on this point. Acting Chairman Guthrie indicated that as an organised body they had ceased to function unu that individual necessltx and Inclination WOUld govern their action, though .ill would wait a little to see what ihe gov- j crnment proposed The open letter to Dr. Garfield Said that In view of the serious situation, the wage scale committee for the ccntrtl field would accept his suggested basis of settlement "preserving present differen-tlala," differen-tlala," At ihe. same time we wish lo call your attention to the fact that ihe acceptance of his increase In wages WlhOUl any Increase In-crease inv the selling prlcr of bituminous coal entire!) eliminates ihe profits of a large number of mines," it continued Such a large number, in fact, we fear the production of COS) will be seriously 1 affeoted We understand that operating statistics for 1019 are not now In your 1 possession and we shall rely upon the government when such statistics or properly assembled and presented o : I mans Blicn adjustments in setting prices I as will permit these mines to mke sucn f'tir and reasonable profits us they rs I entitled to under the Lever law ' Though officially all of the proceedings today were in wage scale committees of I Operators "ml miners for the central fields, all semblance of a sectional dl-;. ICUaaiOn was dropped. All districts of tn. I'nited States were represented at the j final outcome and Ihe action taken w.is : national in Its bearings. Secretary Green, of the miners accused Dr. Garfield of "doing gTcat. Injusile ui I a million miners in making his analysis I of the sllualon and said the fuel administrator's admin-istrator's action approached the coni-! coni-! mission of a moral crime against thi . public." "The mine worker cannot mine coal .it his flnc." declared Green Lewis and other national officials of the mine workers planned to stay a day or two In the ,-ity. but the fifty delegate from the districts jolncc" the operators in leaving as QUlckly as possible atfrr (he break Fuel Administrator Garfield toniRht was informed of the result but had nothing to say for publication Officials looked for further steps by the government but there was considerable doubt as to wha.t thee would be. |