308 Presidential Addresses 



If met with a sincere desire to act fairly by one an 

 other, and if there is, furthermore, power by each 

 to appreciate the other's standpoint, the chance for 

 trouble is minimized. I suppose every thinking man 

 rejoices when by mediation or arbitration it proves 

 possible to settle troubles in time to avert the suf 

 fering and bitterness caused by strikes. Moreover, 

 a conciliation committee can do best work when the 

 trouble is in its beginning, or at least has not come 

 to a head. When the break has actually occurred, 

 damage has been done, and each side feels sore and 

 angry; and it is difficult to get them together 

 difficult to make either forget its own wrongs and 

 remember the rights of the other. If possible the 

 effort at conciliation or mediation or arbitration 

 should be made in the earlier stages, and should be 

 marked by the wish on the part of both sides to try 

 to come to a common agreement which each shall 

 think in the interests of the other as well as of itself. 

 When we deal with such a subject we are fortu 

 nate in having before us an admirable object-lesson 

 in the work that has just been closed by the Anthra 

 cite Coal Strike Commission. This was the Com 

 mission which was appointed last fall at the time 

 when the x coal strike in the anthracite regions threat 

 ened our Nation with a disaster second to none which 

 has befallen us since the days of the Civil War. 

 Their report was made just before the Senate ad^ 

 journed at the special session; and no Government 

 document of recent years marks a more important 

 piece of work better done, and there is none which 



