The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 17, 1919, Page 3

- In fhe interest of a square deal for the farmers N\ Ilonparnsan Teader Official Magazme of the National Nonpartisan League A magazine that dares to print the truth VOL. 9, NO. 20 ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, NOV'EMBER 17, 1919 WHOLE NUMBER 217 I\orth Dakota Will Get Its Fuel Supply “Governor’s Action Delays-Strike of Miners in State—Will Take Over Mlnes if Operators Refuse Wage Demands - quit their jobs throughout ‘the United States at midnight of October 31, one group kept up their work of getting out fuel to heat homes and keep factory fires burning. These were the 1,500 lignite miners employed in the coal mines of North Da- kota. - The North Dakota miners had the same agreement with their employers as did the miners in the other states. They belonged to the same labor organization. - But North:Dakota bids fair to have plenty of fuel while the rest of the country shivers, The reason that North Dakota is so much more . favorably situated in relation to the coal strike than any other state is'because of the attitude that . has been adopted by the authorities. When the - - national coal strike was threatened, Attorney Gen- eral Palmer of the Unit- ed States went into the federal courts in Indiana "and applied for an in- junction to prevent the.- coal miners of the United States from striking and to break up their organ~ ization, if possible. A complaisant judge grant- ed the temporary injunc- ‘tion quickly enough, af- -ier hearing but one mde of the case, and miners’ officials were command- ¢d, under penalty of fine and imprisonment, to have no communication with each other or with the workers in the mines. They were commanded not to use any of the funds of the miners, ac- _cumulated by their sav- ings for years, to pay strike benefits—the very purpose for which the miners put the money aside. It was the free boast of the Washington politicians' and of the coal barons that this ac- tion - would prevent a strike of the coal miners altogether in all coal fields. ELAN OF FORCING _MEN TO WORK FAILS But it did not have this effect. On midnight of . _October 31 the miners laid down their tools. They failed to come back the next day. -“That is because November 1 was All Saints’ Day,” the coal barons - said. But the men failed to come back the next day, which was Sumday. “You couldn’t expect them to work on Sunday,” said the coal barons. “They ~will be back on Monday, all right.” But Monday rolled around and the mines still were idle. The coal operators had to admit that, for the present at least, their plans of compelling men to work by court injunction were a failure. Their hope is that later, when the scanty savings of the miners are exhausted, they will be compelled by hunger to re- turn to the mines, since they will be unable to use the funds that they have saved, a little at a time for years, for strike benefits. - But for the present, at least, the coal mines are idle. Governor Frazier and the North.Dakota govern- ment adopted a different plan. Seeing that a na- tional strike appeared to be inevitable, the North HEN 400,000 soft coal miners - Dakota omcm.ls began, weeks a.head of time, to get into touch with the employers and employes. In- stead of taking one side or the other, and thus’ showing favoritism, Governor Frazier made a care- ful, unbiased survey of the situation, seeking to learn the facts. John N. Hagan, commissioner of agriculture and labor and an associate of the gov- ernor. on” the industrial commission, worked with Frazier throughout. The conclusion reached by these officials was that they should first appeal to the North Dakota miners to delay the strike in that state until all possible chances of adjusting differences with the operators had been tried out, and then, if this failed, that'the state of North Dakota, acting under the powers conferred by law upon the industrial commission, should take over the mines and operate them for the benefit of the people of the state, protecting the interests of.the owners and employes at the same time. As a result of this decision appeal was made . One of the preliminary conferences at the North Dakota capitol on the coal strike. From left to right are Governor Lynn J. Frazier; John N. Hagan, commissioner of agriculture and labor; S. S. McDonald, member ‘'worknfen’s ‘compensation bureau and president of the North Dakota State Federation of La- bor; W. A. Anderson, secretary of the North Dakota industrial commission; Irving Mat- thys, secretary of the miners’ union at Wilton, N. Henry Drennen, district president United Mine Workers of America. October 31 to Henry Drennen, district president of the United Mine Workers of America for the district comprising Montana and North Dakota, - to delay the strike so far as it applied to North Dakota. This appeal was made in the face of a decision announced by the national president of the miners to make the strike nation-wide, with no exceptions for any state. For ‘a time it looked as if it would be impossible to make an exception in the case of North Dakota. But Governor Frazier urged his case. out that the farmers of North Dakota had given the coal miners a fair deal on all occasions; that the last session of the legislature had provided for the elght-hour day and had adopted a mining code that is a model for the United States. He urged, too, that the stocks of lignite were low and that suffer- ing would follow, during the cold winter, if the -strike were called. Finally, a few hours before midnight of October 81, Drennen issued an order- delaying the strike. As a result all coal miners in North Dakota were working the next day, except one small group at Burlington, who had not gotten the cancellation order soon enough. And these re- turned to work the following Monday. - D., largest in the state; : He pombed i Governor Frazier next brought Drennen, thev chief of the mine workers, and leading representa- tives of the coal operators together in his office at Bismarck. Just what demands would have to be met to prevent a coal strike was made clear to all - | parties. MINERS SATISFIED WITH EIGHT-HOUR DAY g 8 The North Dakota miners asked wage increases | || but made no demand for a six-hour day. They were satisfied, they declared, with the eight-hour day | established by the North Dakota legislature. They ! urged, also, that the six-hour day and a five-day week were demanded by eastern miners, not be- cause they thought this made a full week’s work, but because under existing conditions there is no more work than this at the eastern mines. Meanwhile Governor Frazier had been dealing with the operators in an effort to secure a settle- ment with the men, if possible, and if this could not be done,; to perfect arrangements by which the state could take over the mines on the shortest possible notice and with the least possible amount of friction. ; The final demands of coal miners were submit- ted to the operators November .5. As this is written a final decision had not been reached by the operators as to | whether they would meet the labor demands | or not. : f If the operators and ! agreement the state of - North Dakota will take over the coal mines and operate them for the benefit of the people. Governor Frazier has won a victory | that is notable all by " itself in persuading - the miners to remain at work, while a final attempt at peaceful negotiations was be- ing made; regardless of the fact that the*men laid down their tools: in-every other coal mining state in the Union. It may be that this victory will be crowned ! . by an amicable agreement between the oper- ators and the men. Regardless of whetlier this result is reached or not North Dakota will have its coal. It will have it if the state has to ma.ke Aot arrangements for the mining itself. | What North Dakota has done in relation to the :° coal strike and what the government of the United States has done afford an interesting contrast. If f * the federal authorities at Washington had followed f they might easily have averted the walkout No- | vember 1, as Governor Frazier did. Failing in this, if the federal authontles had the same tactics as the governor of North Dakota ‘,- <1 T taken some other attitude than threatening to fine' | ¢ and imprison every one of 400,000 miners, there s § might- yet be a chance to get. both sides together, 7 ¢ as Goyernor Frazier did after the national strike 1§ had been declared. tf Congressman John M. Baer of North Dakota has - ¢ introduced a resolution in congress authonzmg t i President Wilson to take over } e coal mines, fol- lowing the lead pointed out by Governor Frazxa' ‘but no such. action is antmpated. e SERT T the men can not reach s H AT AR AR T AR DR Ko FTIRGEIIE R A R 8 TN B S IO N A SR M e o BN S 2 S P O S S rm? e