Mr. Churchill pointed out to the miners that the coal
stoppage, though it had had most serious results, had not held up the life and industries of the country to anything like the extent that might have been anticipated. In these circumstances did the miners really suppose that they could gain anything by an obstinate continuance of the fight ? Mr. Churchill has been accused by the miners of having spoken brutally and with threats, but the facts are exactly as he stated them. He would have been wrong to treat the miners as children. More- over as Chancellor of the Exchequer it was his duty to speak of such things. As we were not at the meeting we cannot judge exactly of his tone, but there can be no doubt now, in the light of his speech in the House of Commons on Tuesday, that the Government are ready to spring to action again if only the miners will give them a pretext.
