The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 1, 1919, Page 6

. the minds of the people with this | off the coal strike. % Uy, v Z %///////5 "4//”_’% TNonpartisan Teader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League—Every Week Entered as second-class matter September 8, 1915, at the postoffice at St. Paul, Minnesota, under the Act of March 3, 1879. OLIVER 8. MORRIS, Editor E. B. Fussell, A. B. Gilbert and C. W. Vonier, Associate Editors. B. O. Foss, Art Editor. Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one year, in advance, $2.50; six months, $1.50. Please do not make checks, drafts nor money orders payable to indi- viduals. Address all letters and make all remittances to The Nonpartisan Leader, Box 575, St. Paul, Minn. MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS —_— e o THE 8. C. BECKWITH SPECIAL AGENCY, Advertising Representatives, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Kansas City. Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly advertised, and we will take it as a favor if any readers will advise us promptly should they have occasion to doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronizes our advertising coiumns. I we would come as near the truth as the Adair County (Iowa) Free Press when it tells its readers that the “budget of the North Dakota legislature exceeded $132,000,000.” That is just 30 times what the budget of the legislature was—30 times what must be raised in state taxes next year as a result of the state levy (less than 3 mills) just fixed by the state board of equalization. - The same paper calls the farmers’ legislature the “Socialist legislature,” but there wasn’t a; Socialist in it. They were all Re- publicans and Democrats. It doesn’t make much differ- ence, of course, when one ob- scure country paper lies like this. But our Adair county con- temporary is one of the thou- sands of the country weeklies in states where the farmers are organizing which are poisoning WITHIN $127,500,000 OF THE TRUTH sort of dope. And then the coun- try editors kick when the farm- ers set up co-operatively owned county weeklies of their own in competition! . A _good way for the scared country press to head off competition in their field by farmers would be to tell the truth. That would make it unnecessary for t,he farmers to go into the newspaper business. Farmer co-operative weeklies in Nonpartisan league states now number over 120. THE COAL MINE STRIKE : y HE officials of the United Mine Workers of America djd the sensible thing when, on order of the federal court, in the . suit brought by the United States government, they called No matter how ill-advised the government | action against the strike may have been, no matter how unfair the interpretation of the Lever act under which the court issued ! the injunction, the cause of the miners would not have been served by resisting the government and the courts: To resist would have been a lawless act against the government . and courts and would ' have weakened the cause of union labor by e_nabling its enemies . to claim that labor wants rebellion and revolution and not a lawful . and orderly adjustment of its grievances. Strikes are evils. They are wasteful. Both the workers and ' the public suffer, not only the capitalists and employers. Let us ' government and court action against the coal miners. ‘opinion the government did not act impartially. The Lever act, ~under which it acted against the miners, was a war act. ' Its title . S o ' ‘.?Aen_-mx S frankly admit that. dustry strikes would not occur. But on the other hand, let us just as frankly admit that, under the present autocratic control of industry, the strike is the only effective weapon of labor. Every- ' thing that labor has gained in the way of fair working conditions, : fair wages and fair hours have been gained through the strike, [ or threat of strike. ! they had not organized and through organization had found. the : means of enforcing their demands. The workers today would be mere slaves if Farmers will appreciate this, because they never got anything, and never will get anything more, - without organization and mass action. Let us admit that employ- ers, supported by a majority of the press and all the influences of power and wealth, are generally to blame for strikes. . the war is over by withdrawing all F WE said that President Wilson had 30 wives instead of one, Under a sensible and democratic plan of in-. With these facts in mind, we can discuss-more effectively the - In our: states definitely that it is an act to protect the food and fuel supply of the army and navy and to assure uninterrupted prqdu_c- tion during the war with Germany. Those who voted for it in congress never dreamed it would be used in industrial dlspute_as after the war was over. Under the act the proper procedure is trial by jury, not injunction. The war IS over, and to hold that it is not, the court-had to resort to a weak technicality. President Wilson said over a year - ago, when Germany surrendered, “Thus the war ends.” iy Furthermore, the government months ago recognized that restrictions on the coal oper- ators which prevailed during the ' } war. The operators were sub- ject to price regulation and fore- "ed to supply coal to consumers under a distribution plan worked out by the fuel administration. All these restrictions have been withdrawn since the end of the war. Yet the government and - the courts, in the case of the coal miners, rule that the war is not over and the war-time acts are still in force! One theory is fol- lowed by the government in deal- ing with the coal barons, and an- ' ; other in-dealing with the coal miners. Also, congress has, since the passage of the Lever act, passed acts specifically designed to pre- . vent the government or courts using the federal laws against labor unions. : Labor thus has strong grounds for resenting the action of the government in the coal strike, especially since the government could have settled the strike and prevented suffering for want of coal by the public without taking sides and using the courts against labor. Governor Frazier of North Dakota pointed out the way. He gave the workers and the operators in that state an opportunity to adjust their dispute, and when they failed he had the state take over the mines to assure a coal supply. If the government had authority, under a war-time act, to use against labor war-time restrictions, by ordering the strike edict withdrawn, it also had power, under war emergency acts, to take over the mines, as it took over the railroads. This would have assured an uninterrupted 2L _UN THESE MINES | - MYSELF WHY NOoT S _%o:it(li supply pending conferences to adjust the dispute in the coal elds. = : . It.is a sad commentary on our civilization that to settle pres- ent industrial disputes we resort to strikes on the one hand, and on the other oppressive, ill-advised and discriminating government action against one party to the disputes and in favor of the other party. This, as a matter of fact, settles nothing. Does any one imagine that the dispute in the coal fields is settled ? - THE ISSUE MUST BE DISCUSSED HE uncompromising and hysterical attitude of the press and ’ the conservatives and reactionaries is preventing a solution of our industrial problems. Sooner or later industry will be made more democratic. . Labor will be granted the voice it-is en- titled to in its conduct: This is inevitable. This is the issue—au- tocracy or democracy in industry. As long as radical capitalists, backed by the influence of wealth and the press, continue to fight against this just aspiration of labor, giving not an inch and refus-- BUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG — IS MOUTH SHYT— ing even to discuss industrial re- form, the present unrest will continue. . Eot S The press and the conserva- tives by their attitude are en- couraging class and civil war as a means of settling this question of autocracy or democracy in in- / dustry. The question must be settled by dispassionate discus- sion, not by strikes and govern- ment injunctions. To hasten this solution the anti-reformers must first of all, recognize the issue, and then ‘drop their attempt to prevent its calm discussion. They prejudice and passion, their epithets for labor leaders and reform- ers, and their pretention that all who differ with them are “red radicals,” “anarchists” and “Bolsheviki.” They must permit the widest possible exercise of free speech and peaceful assemblage, without which no question can be finally or fairly settled. e are Americans, not uncivilized barbarians. demonstrz}tmg the contrary every day we fail to take steps for the solution of our industrial problems. Deportations, persecu- tions, oppression and name-calling settle nothing, .. HE'S AN AGITATOR \“gchv.h e A e et mfist drop their appeals to i3 But we are LS o