The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 24, 1919, Page 3

In the .int;l"est of a square deal for the farmers =] Jlonartigéin eader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League VOL. 9, NO. 21 ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, NOVEMBER 24, 1919 A magazine that dares to print the truth WHOLE NUMBER 218 North Dakota Slolvesklt,s Coal Problem - Frazier Takes Over Mines for Duration of Strike After Conciliating Efforts Fail—Royalty to Operators Is Probable Bismarck Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader. ORTH DAKOTA will operate its own coal mines until the miners and the operators are able to ‘get together. Following the refusal of the operators to grant the demands of the workers, Governor Frazier announced that he proclaimed martial law : in the state and that North Da- kota would take over the lignite coal mines at once. After all attempts of the governor to settle the differences of the employers and the workers had failed, the proclamation was issued. When the gov- ernor took his drastic action to keep the mines of the state operating and insure the people a supply of fuel, the miners notified him that they would re- turn to work under the governor’s orders, but not; because, the national coal strike had been officially called off. = : The coal operators refused to sign the agreement with the miners granting a 60 per cent increase in wages, such advance not to be paid to the miners but into the strike fund of the United Mine Work- ers of America. The agreement also. stated that no coal was to be shipped out of North Dakota pending settlement of the national coal strike. The lignite miners went out on strike on Novem- ber 8, when the operators refused to sign the agree- ment. The mine workers had agreed to eliminate the . six-hour day from the discussion in finding a tempo- rary basis of agreement to keep the mines working during the strike. ; It was even agreed by the governor that in an emergency when the people of the state were up against such a problem, that only the increased cost of labor be added to the price of fuel for the duration of the emergency. The gov- ernor pointed out in his proclamation that the operators, in refusing to recognize the men’s de- mands, could not have done so because they feared a financial loss would be involved. A .practical-mine operative in all probability will be made director general of all mining operations. Methods are under consideration whereby, al- though the miners’ demands would have to be met during the strike truce, the operators would be paid a royalty, insuring a fair return on their property investment and at the same time involve no appre- ciable increase in cost of coal to the consumer. It is well known that coal operators’ earnings have reached an unprecedented high mark as the re- sult of the government’s price-fixing during the war. It is remembered in official circles that there was a marked increase in the cost of fuel to the consunter even after the armistice was signed. The proposed royalty, it was stated unofficially, prob- ably would be based upon the pre-war profits of the mining industry, plus a percentage representative of the depreciation in the value of currency which has resulted from war inflation and profiteering. FRAZIER TOOK ACTION ON EVE OF NATIONAL STRIKE Governor Frazier took action to keep the mines at work first on the eve of the nation-wide coal strike. Two days before the mines of the country were to be tied up, he telegraphed to John L. Lewis, presi- dent of the United Mine Workers, in Indianapolis, outlining the seriousness of the fuel shortage in North Dakota, because, lignite being a low-grade coal and of a quality that “slacks” easily, it is im- possible to bring it up in advance of demand, so that summer work for winter needs is not the cus- < tom in’this state. The governor told Mr. Lewis that because of this situation every effort should be made to keep the men at work in North Dakota if it was not incom- patible with the designs of the ‘country-wide strike. . Coal mined here would be used within the state “only, he pointed out. At the same time the gover- nor declared that if it were necessary he intended that the state should take over the mines for the duration of the strike and work them’to keep the people from freezing. ; The next day Governor Frazier received a telegram from Mr. Lewis explaining the miners’ attitude in general and saying that he had re- ferred action on the Nerth Dakota situation to Henry Drennen of Billings, Mont., miners’ pres- ident for district No. 27, which embraces Mon- tana as well as North Dakota. That night the governor received a message from Mr. Drennen that he was on his way to Bismarck. After an all-day conference with Mr. Drennen and other miners and union labor chiefs, Mr. Dren- nen agreed that the governor should act as mediator and present the demands of the men to the coal operators of the state. A conference of the oper- GETTING AT THE ROOTS —Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris “A good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and a cor- rupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit,” is the way the Carpenter of Nazareth expressed the opinion that no good can be expected from men whose busi- ness was oppression. And despite the fine platitudes of the profiteer and the grain gambler, the middle- men and the usurious banker, -the methods they have built up can not be expected to produce good results for the people. ‘matters-is to cut down the “corrupt tree.” the only effective tool is organization of the farmer and the worker. PAGE THREE And R T PR N SN R So the only way to remedy - ators was called, and most of the union mines were represented when they met. Mr. Drennen’s demands were for a 60 per cent increase in pay for North Dakota workers, but nothing was said about the six-hour day. Mr. Drennen, however, made it plain that the increase, should the operators agree, would go to the miners in Montana to help finance them in their strike. This sum was to be collected by the operators ac- cording to the system now in effect of taking union dues and assessments from the workers’ pay. INCREASED LABOR COSTS TO BE ADDED TO PRICE There was no evident disposition at first to dodge these demands, although some of the operators de- clared they were excessive. It was understood that the actual increased labor cost would be added to the price of coal, which in most cases would have meant an additional dollar a ton; but in any event the operators’ present profits would not have been - It was a case of expediency, the governor - hit. pointed out; it was necessary to get coal, and while the people would have to pay an extra dollar, if the increased labor cost amounted to that, they would be willing to do even that rather than go cold. The agreement was temporary only, and was to last merely until the end of the nation-wide strike. After that prices would be readjusted to the country-wide level. But an insurgent movement already was appar- ent in the operators’ ranks. These insurgents were those men who represented outside interests, par- ticularly the mine owners living in the Twin Cities and the East. At the same time, in the kept press of North Dakota and from reports reaching the capital from Washington, lies about the attitude of the governor began to appear. It was openly charged that Mr. Frazier was responsible for the strike. Of course these lies were absurd, but they were all part of a palpable campaign to hoodwink the people and to delude officials in Washington as to the real situation. The mine operators were beginning their cam- paign of sabotage which eventually was to wreck the conference for no other reason than that the coal operators of the country at large could not af- ford the example of government intervention that would put the responsibility for the strike also upon their own shoulders, where it belonged, in- stead of upon the back of labor. operators had refused to negotiate with the men, the federal government had threatened to drive them into the mines with soldiers, and an injunec- tion had been obtajned. But there had been no ef- fort toward conciliation, toward getting to the bottom of affairs, and finding out what would be a fair share for labor while the profiteering coal barons were piling up millions from robbery legal- ized by their agreement with the government dur- ing the war. : ; It was pointed out that the average wage of the coal miners was $1,229 ‘a year, and that such pay did not even provide the necessaries of life to the average family. This figure is the government’s own, arrived at in the department of labor. Gover- nor Frazier, however, did not go into the justice or injustice involved in the situation. He declared he had only one purpose—to keep the mines in oper- .ation’ and prevent the unexampled suffering that would follow a complete coal famine. Any arrange- ment would be temporary. That obvious lies in the corporation press about ‘miners earning limousine salaries did not fool the governor, as they were intended to dupe the peo- ple, was apparent in a statement which he made at a luncheon. ; “These problems will never-he solved until The national coal -