Coal and rail strikes, Live Aid concerts: The News Journal archives, week of July 9

"Pages of history" features excerpts from The News Journal archives including The Morning News and The Evening Journal.

July 11, 1922, The Evening Journal

Government to keep mail trains moving

The industrial situation throughout the country increased in gravity today. The cabinet was to meet with President Harding to consider the crisis in coal and rail strikes.

Rationing of the nation’s coal supply impends with the strike in its 102nd day. Because of the fact that in many industrial centers coal supplies are extremely low, any extensive curtailment of rail service soon would cause an industrial paralysis, officials said….

The “Big Four” railroad brotherhoods will unofficially join the strike of shop workers, M.O. Laisure, director of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, declared today….

Reports of violence, sabotage and serious effects of the strikes upon industry mounted.

The Southern Pacific Railroad called for troop protection, charging strikers have used dynamite and shot a guard in attempts to enforce the shop strike….

A mob stormed a Lehigh Valley roundhouse at Wilkes-Barre, Pa. A non-union worker was beaten at Augusta, Ga. Two strike-breakers and a guard were injured at Milwaukee. At Brownsville, Pa., a striking miner and his son were seriously hurt and taken to a hospital.

Suspension of railway mail service from 3,000 miles of the M.K. and T., and a run on the B. and O., was announced….

The full position of this government in the rail strike will be outlined in a statement by President Harding tonight….

It is expected that the President will issue a warning that the United States mail must not be interfered with, that interstate commerce must be moved and that disorders and violence will not be tolerated….

Officials are studying the precedents established by Grover Cleveland in 1894 when he used federal troops to move mail during the Pullman strike in Chicago….

Catch up on history: City mall canceled, Paris falls to Nazis: The News Journal archives, week of June 11

July 11, 1925, The Evening Journal

Regrets decline in marriages; Dr. Wilson says young men and women want easy lives

Present-day marriages are falling off because responsible people are pausing before they enter a contract in which too few nowadays succeeds.

Divorces are climbing steadily because irresponsible ones are rushing in with the idea that they can get out of it easily.

Those are the views of Dr. Clarence T. Wilson, secretary of the Methodist Board of Temperance and Morals, expressed in an interview commenting on Commerce Department reports showing marriages in nine representative states had decreased 6% in 1924 whereas divorces had increased 6%.

“Marriage is falling off because young men want an easy ‘snap,’ both in business and domestic life,” Dr. Wilson says….

“The young woman of today is dodging unintentionally the responsibility of the kitchen and the nursery. This is creating a divorce situation which is causing disintegration of the home and striking at the foundation of the state. A nation has no future when marriage vows are lax and standards of morality are low. This is what caused the downfall of Rome,” he says.

July 13, 1984, The Morning News

Ferraro first woman nominated by major party for vice president

Walter F. Mondale on Thursday named Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro, D-N.Y., as his running mate, the first woman selected to run for that office on a major-party ticket.

Mondale, the probable Democratic presidential nominee, announced his historic step before an ebullient crowd at the Minnesota State Capitol. He introduced Ferraro by saying, “I looked for the best vice president and I found her in Gerry Ferraro.”…

The 48-year-old former teacher and assistant prosecutor from Queens County broke into a wide grin as Mondale said, “I’m delighted to announce that I will ask the Democratic convention” to ratify her….

More: 'The start of something new': Delaware House elects 1st female speaker, leadership team

July 14, 1985, Sunday News Journal

A rock concert for the world

The most common greeting Saturday was “Hello World!” and indeed it seemed the whole world was watching as Live Aid megabenefit concerts in Philadelphia and London raised tens of millions of dollars for hunger relief in Africa.

The 90,000 sunburned but festive rock fans at John F. Kennedy Stadium and 72,000 others at London’s Wembley Stadium were but a drop in the bucket of a worldwide television audience of as many as 2 billion. As the concert ended, donations had surpassed $40 million….

“It’s not just the greatest show on Earth,” said concert organizer and Boomtown Rats lead singer Bob Geldof, “it’s the greatest gig in the galaxy.”…

Prince Charles and Princess Diana, seated in the royal box with David Bowie and Elton John, opened the Wembley concert, waving to the crowd as “God Save the Queen” was played. They were followed quickly by Status Quo performing “Rocking All Over the World.”

Two hours later, actor Jack Nicholson introduced singer Joan Baez to the Philadelphia crowd. “Good morning, children of the 80s,” she shouted. “This is your Woodstock and it’s long overdue.”

Several reunited bands, including Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Who and Crosby, Stills & Nash, added to the concert’s one-time-only atmosphere….

Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Rail strike, Live Aid concerts: News Journal archives, week of July 9