John F. Fort to Woodrow Wilson

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To the President. My dear Mr. President: I suppose by Saturday, possibly before, the food act will become a law and the provision therein with relation to coal will become operative if you elect to put it into operation. This, in my opinion, presents the most important, not to say difficult, problem that has ever been presented to the Chief Executive or any administrative board of the Nation.

I greatly fear the results of the operation of these mines. It is a much more difficult problem, it seems to me, than any of us imagine. There are six thousand mines. I am writing this letter with this in view: I believe that this matter is of sufficient importance to be handled by you personally. I feel that if I could give you a list of about a dozen, or more if you prefer, of the leading bituminous operators of the United States, whom you could have meet you and put the matter up to them in the way that you could, the result would be an agreement by them to comply with your expressed wish and with the price that you might agree with them should become operative. This, I feel very sure, would result in every operator in the United States complying with that price and operating his mine thereunder. It would also avoid any possible dissatisfaction which the operators might have if not conferred with.

You once made the statement as to the referendum, that it was useful as a "gun behind the door." That was a statement that will stick for all time with regard to this class of legislation, and with this law in your power to enforce, I am convinced that these gentlemen, seeing the situation, will be ready to meet any reasonable suggestion which you would make, and you will not make any suggestions which are not reasonable.

Of course, I would esteem it a great compliment if I could be present should you decide to talk to the operators, and I might be useful to you in my knowledge of the past course of action of these gentlemen.

If you desire to put the matter upon us we will do the best we can and endeavor to accomplish the result which you would much more readily, I believe, accomplish. The great honor and compliment of treating with you will have a splendid effect upon these men. The most serious offendors for the past five months in the coal matter have been the middlemen. The operators themselves have been disposed to be fair, speaking generally; of course, there have been exceptions. But in the present state of affairs, if an accommodation can be reached, and a fair price fixed, and these gentlemen will speed up production and act in good faith, as they undoubtedly would if agreeing with you, I cannot but believe that it would be much better than any arbitrary action on the part of this Commission or any other agency, in fixing a price and endeavoring to operate the mines.

My only purpose in writing you is to be helpful, and if I can aid in any way in any plan which will result, through an adjustment, in bringing about the result which we all so much desire and for which you are so earnestly striving in all directions, I shall be glad. Time is the essence of this matter because we have but a short time before fall and cold weather.

I think I can be able to hand you the costs of many mines in several districts by the first of next week, and with those costs in hand you could get a fair idea of what will be an average cost at practically all of the mines except a few exceptional ones; and then to add to this cost, in the language of the act of Congress, "a just and reasonable profit" might bring about a solution that could only redound to the credit of the Administration.

I would like to be at home over Saturday, and will try to be back Monday evening, possibly Monday morning. If you wish me to, it will be a pleasure for me to give you any information or personal aid that I can render, and I earnestly hope that you will devise some method by which you will act personally, or through some agency, to endeavor to bring about an adjustment with the operators after a conference and without any arbitrary action.

With distinguished respect, believe meThe President, White House.