A Great Chance For The President

The country is probably just entering upon one of the greatest struggles between organized capital and organized labor that has ever taken place. There are now 145,000 men out and the leaders of the anthracite coal miners propose, if possible, to bring the bituminous mine workers out also. If this plan succeeds there will be about 450,000 men on strike. In fact it is the purpose of the miners to tie up the entire coal Industry of the country if they can. If they succeed in bringing all the coal mining concerns into the strike, it is sure to tie up various allied industries and may bring the business of the country to a stand still, or at least paralyze industry to such an extent that the suffering and losses will be incalculable.

The strike is due to the refusal of the coal trust to arbitrate certain differences with the men. Of course wages is the real point of difference. And it is very generally conceded that the men are not getting what they ought to get in view of the present price of coal. The anthracite miners are not receiving as much wages as the bituminous miners, probably not much more than half the rates. Wages are kept down by the trust the same purpose that it keeps the price of coal exorbitantly high. The greed of the trust is satiated in this way. And in the accomplishment of this purpose the trust is unquestionably acting in restriction of trade, and consequently in violation of law. It is a subject for the president to give his attention to, therefore. The coal trust is undoubtedly one of the most oppressive monopolies in the country, and, as such, a constant law breaker. Let the president in his fight against the monopolistic combines strike this one also. His chances for a successful fight on this grasping monopoly are even greater than in the beef trust fight or the fight against the Northern Securities company.

There is no doubt but what this combine is maintained to keep up prices by restricting the output, and through other means. There is no reason why freight rates for carrying coal should be double, or even more, than for carrying iron or brick or various other things. But it is a matter of common knowledge that practically double the charge is made in the case of coal. All this is done to raise the price of coal. The people are compelled to pay the price demanded by keeping the amount mined restricted. In fact there seems to be the clearest kind of a case against the coal monopoly.

In enforcing the law against this robber combine the president will only be doing his sworn duty. But in thus performing the duty which his oath of office requires, he will gain the support of the people for himself in a way that nothing else will win it for him. No better stroke of policy could be made, therefore. It would bring on a tremendous fight undoubtedly, but it would line up the people with practical unanimity in support of the president. Here then is a stroke of policy that would ail him in his ambition to succeed himself more than anything else he can do.