Nebraska Newspapers

    THE NORTH PLATTE SEMI-VEEK),Y TRIBUNE.
GOAL HERS OF
U.S. GO OH STRIKE
PERSHING EXPRESSES VIEWS
A. E. F. General Tells Senate Commit
tee Army of 300,000 Sufficient.
Favors Military Training.
PROFITEERS AND UNION HEADS
IN SAME BOAT.
I 1 1
lj!
III W D
Summons of Workers' Organi
zation Obeyed By Men In
Twenty-Eight States
FEDERAL INJUNCTION ISSUED
Union Heads Protest Government's
Action Uncle Sam Moves to Pro.:
tcct Interests of the People
In Grave Crisis.
WnnhliiKLoii, 1). C Bituminous con I
mlnWs In twenty-eight states of (lie
union laid down tlielr tools unit quit
work Inst Saturday In oboyaneo to a
decision readied at tho convention of
(lie United Mine Workers of America
At Cleveland, Ohio, September 23.
The first alarm of the strike, which
Is exported to cause a general paraly
sis of Hie business of the nation and
untold suffering It not brought to a
iqioody conclusion, was given at the
Cleveland meeting when the declara
tion was mado that tho war time wage
ngreoment, entered into between the
government and tho miners, would end
November 1.
Kxccutlvo olllccrs charged with the
duty of negotiating u now agreement
were ordered to stand out for three
demands, and If not granted, to Issue
a strike cull for moro than 400.0(H) soft
coal miners In 28 states. These de
mands were:
A flvo-duy working week, a six-hour
Jay and a wago lncrense of 00 per cent.
At scnlo committee meetings In Buf
falo and Philadelphia miners and op
erators threshed over their differences
without settlement. Representatives
of the miners contended that tho de
mands wore not arbitrary, that the 00
per cent wage Increase was set as n
basis for negotiation, that a six-hour
day meant actual tlmo tho miners
were to work underground.
Insist On Short Day.
Tho miners Insisted on a live-day
week, they said, because there were
not four days' work a week tho year
around for each miner. They contend
ed by limiting each miner to flvo days
(hero would bo a more equitable distri
bution of tho work. Tho leaders de
nied that it was tho beginning of a na
tionwide campaign for a shorter work
ing schedule.
After failure of tho two sides to get
together tho strike order was Issued
mid Secretary of Labor Wilson, acting
by direction of the president's cabinet,
immediately called Into conference tho
heads of the mining and operating as
sociations. Subsequently tho full scalo
committees, of each were called In nnd
various proposals were offered and re
jected. Put Up to Wilson.
Tho finul proposal was mndo by
President Wilson. It suggested nego
tiation without reservation, submission
of questions still In dlsputo with tho
failure of negotiation to arbitration
nnd continued operation of tho mines
pending final settlement.
Tho operators, as set forth In a state
ment by Secretary Wilson, nccepted
the offer In Its entirety ; the miners ac
cepted the offer of negotiation "and
held tho other two for consideration
later." This, as explained by Secre
tary Wilson, abruptly ended the con
ference. Tho minora in tho scries of confer
ences charged that wlillo the wartlmo
ngreement still bound them to work
nt the old wartlmo wago scale, it re
moved restrictions on tho war prlco of
coal and permitted operators to churgo
what they pleased. This, they declar
ed, had led to proiltccriug.
An appeal to the miners by Presi
dent Wilson mid announcement by At
torney Ocneral Palmer tlmt tho strike
would bo considered "Illegal," failed
to bring about tho rescinding of tho
Btrlko order.
On the ovc of the strlko Judge A. B.
Anderson of tho federal court nt In
Nebraskans Secure Divorce
Los Angeles, Cnl, The third mnr
rlago of David Eugene Thompson,
former Nebraska capitalist, publisher
of tho Lincoln Star, former Amorlcan
minister to ltrazll and Mexico, rail
rend magnate and millionaire, ended
when ho was granted a divorce decree
from his youthful wife, Florence Cook
Thompson, said to bo more than llfty
years Ids junior, on a cruelty charge.
Suicide Bridge To Go.
Chicago Park employes have begun
razing suicide bridge, tho high viaduct
In Lincoln park, from which somo I0
persons have leaped to death or Injury
In recent years.
Clothes High In France.
Paris. Smart clothes in Paris this
soason are tho costliest on record.
Many articles uro actually worth more
than tholr weight in gold, which Is
three fruncs leu centimes per gramme.
Government Given O. K.
London. Tlio government was given
a vote of confidence in tlio house of
commons last Friday on Its financial
principles, by an overwhelming ma
jority of 355.
Bond Sale Falls Through.
Illsniurck, N. D. Sale of f3,p()0,000
worth of pinto bonds, $2,000,000 of
which were to bo used as capital for
tho bank of North Dakota, Is said to
have fallen through, bonding houses
of the cu t having refused to under
write i pi I ;.vuv
Washington. Dissenting In many
Imporlaiil respects from the program
recommended by the War department
and the general staff, (leneral Pershing
told the military committees of con
Kress that .'100,000 men, rained entirely
by voluntary enlistment, should be the
outside figure considered for a stand
l:ig army.
He favored universal military train
ing to provide an emergency rcsene,
but thought general educHtlonnl work
should be combined with it and mill
titry discipline "somewhat relaxed" so
Hint the system would be In complete
harmony with democratic Institutions.
He ll.ed six months as the training
period.
Tho department had recommended
an army of more than 500,000, with a
system of universal training not em
bracing Iho educational Am lures. Its
recommendation for a training period
was three months.
Departing again from the expressed
views of the department, the general
declared army purchasing should be
reorganized In a new bureau apart
from tho quartermaster corps and that
a separate department of Hie govern
ment should be organized to co
ordinate and supervise military, naval
and commercial aeronautics. lie con
sidered the department's request for
&U general staff officers excessive, and
made clear his opposition to any effort
by tlio staff to extend Its authority
Into tlio details of the uepartment bu
reaus and of the line.
dlnnapolls, Ind., Issued a restraining
order to stop olllclals of the Mine
Workers' union from engineering the
strike. ,
Tho principal leaders In the miners'
union met. the court's action with de
nunciation as a "violation of consti
tutional rights," declarations that It
came too late to reach their men with
n countermanding order, and with pre
dictions that It would be disregarded
anyway.
Attorney General Palmer empha
sized to the labor loaders that tho gov
ernment's Injunction was In no wlso
nn Infringement of tlio worklngniim's
right to strike, but that It was a law
ful process against n calamity to the
country. Ho pointed out tlmt the In
junction had been Issued for, tho gov
ernment, acting for all tho people, nnd
not for tho employers, acting In conlllct
with their employes.
Plans Not Made Public.
The attorney general declined to
predict what would be done If the
minors failed to heed the federal
court's order, pointing out thnt the
court Itself Initiates means to dcnl
with thoso who disregard Its man
dates.
The government's program to deal
with the practical as well as tho legal
phase of tho crisis lr steadily being
carried out.
President; Wilson, by executive or
der, fixed maximum prices of soft
coal.
Fuel Administrator Gnrllold restored
the war ordors which will glvo the
railroad administration the power to
seize coal In transit and divert It to
consumption, in accordance with n
preference list arranged with the Idea
of doing the greatest good for tho
greatest number.
Tho machinery of the railroad ad
ministration through which the nets of
tho fuel administration will he carried
out was put ready for functioning.
Troops In Readiness.
IJ, R, troops have been dispatched
to some of tho mining districts, ready
to take part In keeping order and pro
tecting those tnlneYs who wished to
continue nl work.
The extent and full nature of troop
movements hnvo not been disclosed.
Both branches of congress have
passed a resolution pledging support
to the administration In its measure
to deal with the emergency.
Explosion Kills Fourteen.
Toklo Tho maneuvers of tho entire
Japanese navy, In which tho emperor
participated, were marred by an ex
plosion on the battleship Hyugit In To
klo bay. Fourteen men were killed
and 30 Injured. The emperor was
aboard tho battleship Settsu. The
maneuvers, which were the most
elaborate hi the history of tho navy,
Included mimic battles and airplane at
tacks on coastal cities.
Hoarders Soon to Face Music.
Washington. Many new arrests In
n number of states for violations of
fbe food and fuel control law are ex
pected soon by tlio Department of
Justice.
Prepare to Combat "Flu."
London. Knglnnd Is preparing for
n recurrence of last winter's epidemic
of Inlluenza. A vacclno has been pre
pared In largo quantities at St. Mary's
hospital and other bacteriological con
tors In London for the distribution
through the United Kingdom.
Fatal Wreck In West
Los Angeles. Seven persons wero
killed and 00 Injured when Southern
Paclllc train No. 00 southbound, was
wrecked near A clou. The engine, two
baggage cars nnd live coaches went
Into a ditch.
Ten Below In North Dakota.
Illsniurck, N. D. Tlio lowest Octo
ber tuinperiiltiro ever recorded In the
weather bureau hero was made the
morning of the liOtli when the thormo
meter reached 10 degrees below zero,
tho bureau niMiouneod.
1 Scene during Roosevelt memorlul ceremonies nt New York public library. 2 Admiral Kolchak's forces
in tho move from Stepanovkn to Mnxlmovka, near Ufa. 3 Scene at Webster hall during the sesqulcentennlal
celebration at Durtmouth university.
HEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENT
oal Miners Insist on Strike and
Big Contest With the Gov
ernment Begins.
DRASTIC MEASURES ADOPTED
War-Tlme Priority List Is Re-Estab-
llohed for the Distribution of Fuel
International Labor Confer
ence Opens Congress Over
rides President's Veto of
Dry Enforcement Act.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD.
The grent struggle Is on. The Uni
ted States of America versus the Uni
ted Mine Workers of America. A na
tion of one hundred and ten millions
against n labor union of perhaps half
million.
Boldly defying the federal govern.
mcnt as represented by the president
and bis cabinet nnd the governments
of many states ns represented by their
governors, the lenders of the union de
creed tlmt the strlko of bituminous
conl minora should go Into effect at
midnight Friday. Regardless of the
fact that the strike would cripple the
entire country and thnt the resultant
suffering would bo felt most by their
follow workers, they refused to do
anything to head It off, falling hnck on
tholr oft-repeated statements of Its
Justice nnd on tho nsserllon that, us It
was ordered by a general convention
of tlio United Mine Workers, no repre
sentatives of tho orgunlzntlon have
luthorlty to set such action aside.
Immediately after the conference of
.eaders of the miners had Issued Its
itutonient the government began to
mobilize Its forces to mnke good the
jromlse of President Wilson thnt tljo
nines should he operated. The cnbl
act met In speclnl session nnd definite
plnns of action were discussed and
adopted. Meanwhile Dr. Harry Gar
add, federal fuel ndmlnlstrator, hnd
oeen summoned to Wnshlngton und
itops wore tnken to rovlvo the fuel ad
ministration to prevent hoarding nnd
profiteering. Attorney General Palmer
'.ssiicd n long statement In which he
undo It plain thnt the strike was 11
.egal nnd thnt the government had
joth the right nnd the power to crush
It, "without Infringing on the reeog-
ilzed right of men In nny line of In-
lustry to work when they piense and
quit work when they please."
The plans of the federal olllclals. It
was said, Include prosecution for
ronsplracy of (hose guilty of causing
tho strike; armed protection for those
miners who are willing to continue nt
work, and allocation and distribution
of coal to railroads, essential Industries
and homes. Orders fof proper dlspo
sltlon of troops went out from the wnr
department; In some of the coal niln
ing states tlio jNatlonal Guard was
mobilized and In various communities
steps were taken for the formation of
citizens' committees to nld the author
ities.
The first thing done by the govern
nient wns nn order from Director Con?
sral Illnes to the rnllronds to confls
into all coal In transit, If necessary, to
operate tho roads and build up a re
serve. Then the attorney general an
nqunced that the fuel administrator
would tnko control of the handling of
tho coal and would use his authority
under the Lover act to meet the situ
ation. In tho distribution of coal, the
wartime priority Hat of the fuel ad
ministration Is to bo followed. This Is
ns follows:
1. Steam railroads;. Inland and
coastwise vessels.
2. Domestic, Including hotels, bos
pltnls and asylums
3. Nuvy und army
4. Public utilities, Including plnnts
and suclv portions of plants ns supply
light, heat und wnter for public use,
5. Producers and manufacturers of
food, Including refrigeration.
0. National, state, county nnd uiu
ulclpal emergency requirement.
7. Hunkers and other marine emer
gency requirements not specified
above.
8. Producers of newsprint pnper
nnd plnnts necessary to the printing
and publication of dally . newspapers.
Another plan of the government was
to obtain from Federal Judge Ander
son nt Indianapolis a sweeping Injunc
tion against the miners' organization
and 83 national and local ofllcers, for
bidding the "encouraging of the strlko
by word of mouth, book or pamphlet"
and prohibiting the use of tho organ!-
zutlon's funds for the promotion of
the strike. Vlolntors of tho Injunction
would be punished for contempt of
court.
The mine operators promised the
government their unreserved co-oper-utlon
in Its efforts to keen the mines
open. Conlldentlal reports from gov
ernment agents bud led to the belief
tnat a largo number of the union
miners would not strike and, in addi
tion, It wns estimated that the non
union mines could be counted on to
turn out a considerable quantity of
coal. Their annual production Is nbout
180,000,000 tons out of a total of C00,
000,000 tons. At the best, however,
the production will bo tremendously
decreased and if the strlko Is pro
longed consumption must be reduced
nccordlngly. In this process nnturally
tlio unessentlnl Industries will bo the
worst sufferers nnd It is ensv to nro-
dlct (hat many thousands of them will
ne cioseu uown nnd vast numbers of
men und women thrown out of em
ployment.
President Lewis of the miners luld
the blame for the situation on the
mine operators and severely criticized
President Wilson who, he said, had
prejudged tlio case with only a imrtial
and Inaccurate knowledge of the
facts. The union oflicluls, while as
serting they could not now stop the
strike, left open one possible door bv
ssnylng they were ready and anxious to
meet the operators for the purpose of
negotiating an agreement and brlncrlntr
nbout a settlement.
Later It was snid the ofllclnls wore
ready to nbandon the demand for a
six hour dny arid five day week and to
modify the demand for a CO per cent
Increase In wages, If the operators
would curtail if not nbandon Saturday
work and agree to a "moderate" wage
lncrense. At Indianapolis It was as
serted tho extreme demands were put
forward to satisfy a large radical ele
ment thnt threatened to revolt ngnlnst
the Lewis regime.
The International labor conference
provided for by the peace 'treaty has
assembled at Washington"; but, owing
to the treaty situation, It Is In doubt
as to Its own status. Secretary of
Labor AVIIson called It to order nnd
welcomed It to the United States, but
this country's official connection with
It ciiine to nn end there. For the pres
ent the conference wns considered "in
process of organization," and thus Mr.
Wilson und other Americans were en
abled to sit with the delegates from
other lands. The conference asked
the Federation of Labor and the Uni
ted States Chamber of Commerce to
name delegates, and this wns done.
Thirty-one foreign countries were rep
resented by 83 delegates when the ses
sions opened. The representatives
from Germany and Austria were due
to arrive November 3 and the organ
izing committee recommended that
they bo given early participation.
The International congress of work
ing women also opened In Washington
with -10 delegates present anil Mrs.
Raymond Robins presiding. The wom
en made It plain at the outset that
they were not seeking any special
privileges for their sex hi industry, but
that they demand full share In any
plnns for their protection that men
may consider.
An Interesting Interlude at Wash
ington was provided by the visit of
the king and queen of the Belgians.
Albert was given un enthusiastic wel
come by congress, and In addresses
beforo both tho senate und the house
gave formal expression of the grutl
tude of his country to Amerlcn. The
roynl couple culled Informally nt the
White House.
lleforo leaving tho United States
King Albert took occasion to mako a
pilgrimage to the tomb of Theodore
Roosevelt and to lay upon It a boautl
fill wrenth. It wns n fitting Incident
of Roosevelt week, during which hun
dreds of thousands of dollars were
contributed by admirers of the great
American fornhe purpose of establish
ing mcmorlnls to him.
President Wilson stirred up a
mighty hullabaloo by his veto of the
dry enforcement action the ground
thnt the emergency vhlch called for
wartime prohibition had passed nnd
thnt tho law should bo repealed. For
a few hours the wets wero Jubilant,
believing that John Barleycorn hnd
been given a lease of life until consti
tutional prohibition goes Into, effect In
.Tnnunry. But tlio drys quickly got
Into uction nnd forced Immediate no
tion In the house, with the result thnt
the veto wns overridden by a vote pf
170 to 55. A Inrge number flf mem
bers wero ubsent, but postponement
for this reason was refused and, In
deed, If the full membership hnd boon
present the result doubtless tvould
hnvo been the snme. Next dny the
sennte nlso passed the bill over the
president's veto, the vote being 05 to
20.
The net became effective nt once
nnd the country beenme bono dry
until the treaty with Germany Is rati
fied. As soon ns thnt nctlon Is taken
by tho senate, according to a state
ment from the White nouse, the pres
ident will lift the ban. This aroused
both the -Anti-Saloon league anil the
more rabid opponents of the treaty.
The leaders of the former declared
they would maintain the contention
that the ban could not bo removed un
til the trenty with Austria and Hun
gary hnd been ratified. The lntter nt
tncked tho motives of the president
and said ho had delayed lifting the
ban to force the senate to ratify the
trenty. The liquor men found some
consolation in a decision by a federal
Judge at Louisville that the wartlmo
law is Invalid and that the government
could not seize liquor In storage with
out paying for It. But tho revenue
agents went right ahead scaling up all
the stocks of liquor they could Hnd
and they found most of them.
No one on either side of the treaty
fight In the senate would admit, that
tho promise of a wet spell In the least
affected the contest, but there wns evi
dent a disposition to get through with
ihe matter speedily. Tho rejection of
all nniendnients clenred the way for
the consideration of the rescrvntlons,
nnd It was predicted that the same
conservative Republicans who voted
with the Democrats against the
amendments would compel the adop
tion of milder reservations than those
reported by the committee" on foreign
rotations. It will then bo up to the
administration supporters to accept
these or stand responsible for the com
plete failure to ratify the trenty.
The re-enforced red nrmy defending
Petrogrnd succeeded, by desperate
fighting, In recapturing several towns
and In forcing back the white army,
but late reports from General Vuden
Itch are to the effect that he Is recov
ering the lost ground and that the of
fensive Is proceeding satisfactorily
again. Finland unnounccs thnt It is
giving Vudenltch nld In the way of
tanks and ammunition, but cannot
send a regular expedition unless prom
ised certain compensating advantages.
General Denlklne's advance on Mos
cow nlso wus checked by tho bol
shevlkl nnd. If wireless dispntches
from Moscow nro to he believed, there
has been a serious revolt ngnlnst him
in the Ukraine. Large bodies of tlio
troops of Petlurn nnd Mnkhno nre
lolnlng the reds and n number of Im
portant towns have fallen Into the
hands of the rebels. From the same
source comes the story of another up
rising against Denlklne hi the Caspian
region that cuts off his oil supply. It
Is well to uccept nil stories from Mos
cow with 'reservation.
Possibly In response to tho wall of
the Letts that the allies hnve not been
giving them suillclent help In tholr
light against the Germans nt Riga, the
allied fleet In the Gulf or Riga has
been re-enforced by some large war
ships and the positions or the Germans
nre under continuous bomlmrdincnt.
In the Baltic, It Is Mild. 'here nre CTi
British worships which shell Kron
stndt dully. These vessels also tire
cnrorelnz the blockade of the liolshev
1st const of Russia ordered by the al
lied wnr council.
PALMER SCORES N. I DEALER
Declares Government's Action In Fix
ing Maximum Price Solely for
Protection of Public.
Washington, D. C. A suggestion
from the Wholesale Conl Trade asso
ciation of New York that the govern
ment should not fix n maximum price
for coal or Interfere with the normal
course of supply and demand during
the strike brought from Attorney Gen
eral Palmer the vigorous assertion
that lie would take the same nctlon
ngalnst persons enhnnclng prices as
wns taken against the union olllclals.
W. A. Marshall, president of the as
sociation, wrote Mr. Palmer recom
mending that miners who want to
work he given protection and that coat
consumers bo allowed to obtain fuel
through the usual, normnl channels.
"I am In receipt of your letter und
nmnzed by Its contents," the attorney
general replied. "While of course
proper protection will be given to nil
miners who nre willing to continue nl
work, It must bo perfectly plain to you
that even under such conditions the
supply of conl must be far from nor
mal. Your proposition amounts, In
effect, to n declaration thnt conl deal
ers should be permitted to take advan
tage of those abnormnl conditions and''
hnvo tlielr prices based entirely upon
the law of supply and demand, which'
Is only nnotlicr way of saying that
they should be permitted ,to charge
the public whatever they please. The
demand for fuel will bo constantly
Increasing and Willi the supply de
creasing, unless there Is government
regulation, prices charged' to the pub
lic would lie outrageous nnd the profits
accruing to dealers unreasonable.
"The nctlon of the government In
restraining the ofllcers of the mine
workers' union from furthering the
strike order already Issued wus taken
solely In tho public Interests, and I
shall not permit It to bo used directly
or Indirectly for the benefit of the em
ployers' side of the controversy. If
any advantage shall bo taken of pres
ent conditions by nny arrangement, or
agreement of two or more persons to
restrict either production or distribu
tion In order to enlinnco the price of
fuel, I shall without hesitation take
precisely the same action ngnlnst suclr
persons ns hns been taken against thet
ofllcers of the mine workers' union."
THREE MONTHS SUPPLY.
Statisticians Claim Nation Has Suf
ficient Coal Until Feb. 1.
Indlnnnpolls, Ind. The cllmux In the
strike of bituminous coal miners of
the United States Is expected soon by
both miners and operators. Tho coun
try's supply of conl, they agreed, will
be budly depleted In three weeks.
Tue following npproxlmalo average
figures on tho present supply of coal
has been furnished' by one of the lead
ing stutistlclnns on coal In the coun
try: Normnl number of tons mined
nnd consumed dally, 1,750,000. Num
ber of tons above ground, 17,000,000.
With the number of miners reduced
by hnlf It enn be nssumed, ho said,,
that the production will be cut In half,
thus making It necessary to draw
about S00.OOO tons of coal daily from
the reserve supply to meet tho nation's
needs.
If this condition continues for more
than three months, the supply of coal
will be exhausted, according to tbese
estlnmtes. At headquarters of the United Mine1
Workers, officials are making every
effort to comply with the Injunction is
sued by Judge A. B. Anderson re
straining them from participating lu
or directing the strike.
Starving in Bolshevik Russia.
Helslngfors, Finland Petrogrnd luift
been without bread for the last two
weeks, thousands of persons dying
dally, according to Information brought
to Helslngfors by tho Finn, who es
caped from a prison camp at Moscow.
The population of Petrogrnd has fallen,
below -100,000 he said. Conditions In
Moscow, the Finn reported, were
much bettor.
Prominent Stockman Killed.
Omnlin, Neb. Phil Kellogg, prmol
nent live stock commission man, wns
killed and eight others were Injured,
two seriously, in a collision of two
automobiles in tills city.
.Not to Obey Strike Order.
Washington. Timothy Slieu hns
given notice to congress that the
Brotherhood of locomotive Firemen
and ISnglnenion, of which he Is acting
president, would not observe pending
antl-suiko legislation If ennctod Into
luw.
Periodicals Leave Gotham.
New York. -Moro Hum (10 periodi
cals affected by the strike and lockout
existing In tho printing Industry hero
have arranged for publication lu othei
cities.
Amendment Slate Cleansd.
' Washington. The -IfS aniendmeiils
attached to the peace treaty passed
Into history when the last survivor, a
proposal bv Senator Mosw, republi
can, New Hampshire, lo revise voting
strength In the league of nations, wns
defcatei' In the senate, 17 In 30.