Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-26

them, and you had better look out for them?' Has the commttes ever given me any warning or any circumstance or any clue concerning any law breakers?
 President Fournier-I don't know thnt any member of the committee has done that.
 Governor Jones-Well, has any member of the committee done it?
 Mir. LaMont-No, sir.
 Governor Jones-Then you can't blame me for thinking hard of Il e committee.
 MT. LaAlont-IfI ha k own the laY was going to be broken would have told you. Now, have to say to you today that the majority of the miners are law-abidiug citizens, but we have an element amongst us that is not. Now, you know if the law abiding citizens are doing their duty they won't be arrested. The men that we rep resent are law abiding people. Still, there is an element that comes out and goes in amongst Us that we don't know anything about; and they know if we had known of any plan that was conceded to break the law 1 would have told you. Now, these men, knowing those things, have kept it to themselves as a secret, the same as they would from you. Now, this affair at Pratt mines has done more harm to the miners Of Alabama than anything that has trans pired during this trouble; so we, having the condition of the miners at heart, wouldn't we try to keep such things down? It is patent to anybody that that thing, coming on the way it did, was going to do uS very luuCl NOW, GulS COIHmib- tee doesn't have the authority to call off the strike. If leave the board and go home somebody else will be sent in my place. The miners have adopted line of policy that we are to carry cut, and if we can't carry out their instruttons we can resign, but somebody else will take our places. You can see the difference in the committee from the day we commenced. Here is a new man sent here from Blue Creek and new man from xyh he bar ra bet fer than the others, or the others better mer than these, l don't know. If resign and go home they may send a better man than be to take my place and they may not. That is question. l think the majority of the miners in Alabama today are just as sorry for what happened as any citizen in Alabama, let him be merchant or what not. That is my humble opinion. Take 1000 or 5000 men of any class, don't care what they are, and you will find men among them that will do anything; they will lay their plans and mature their plans that will bring as great shock as this thing did, and nobody will know nothing about it. Now, l believe today that there's many hundred miners in Alabama if they could trace out any of the men who com mtted that violence you would soon know it.
 Governor Jones-Don't you think miner that lives at Pratt mines and knows those people well, when at least 150 of them went out there to engage in this riot, might trace out some of thefn-6nd out something about it, even now?
 MT. LaMont-I don't live there. hSl < been there the third time in my life - The last time we saw you, governor, spoke about the Horse Creek business. Now, belong down at Cardiff, and said when l heard of that 1 could almost hold up my hand and swear there was not a man at Cardiff that did it. That took place on Sunday, and l was at home all that day and saw every miner at Cardiff that evening, and that made me sure there was none of those people that was inti- mately acquainted with in Cardiff that was in that Horse Creek afflir. Blossburg, Brookside and Coalburg all belong to the Sloss company, and those are the people represent. MT. Fournier comes from Wy lam, MT. Powell from Pratt, MT. Stich here from Blocton and MT. Bell here from Blue Creek. l can only speak from what know. l never was at Blue Creek or Blocton in my life. Now, as far as stopping men from going to work if they want to go, l have never men, ''let them go; we have no business to stop them; they have aright to take any body in the mines they choose; all the right we've got is to say we won't work, The men at Blossburg and Brookside and Coalburg have never interfered to my Knowledge with other men there, and I don't believe the big majority of them would interfere in any way with those men, and that is why l speak so.
 don't think l have anything more to say on the subject; l just want you 10 un- derstand, governor, that as law abiding citizen, which am, and claim to be, all my life, nearly 50 years of age now, that never was in lawsuit in my life, and never was arrested, and never was witness in court in my life, and never owned gun 8 shotgun or pistol-in my life; never carried such a thing and never used them. I would not know how to use gun or a pistol, or anything Of the kind.
 Governor Jones-What do you think is the duty of w-abiding citizen when he knows that his persisting in course of ac- tion, whether legal or illegal in itself, is going to bring misery and suffering among his people and the community in which he lives? Now, this strike has been accompa- nied by great violence; it has been getting worse and worse; it started at Horse Creek. The miners did that. As to who did the bridge burning I do not know and don't charge. Then comes the affair out at Pratt mines. The miners did that. And then you, as influential miners and citizens of Alabama, say: "Well, governor, person. ally we are law abiding citizens; we have got nothing to do with this; we did not know anything about it; we know there are bad men amongst us, but we insist, so far as we are concerned, we cannot do anything to help you preserve the peace, except to advise people to obey the law.' Is that the attitude you occupy3
 President FOurnier-I don't think we do that.
 Governor Jones-Well, what are you willing to do to help bring about peace and quiet and stop all this lawiessness and reign of terror that is existing here7
 MT. LaMont-I look at it this way: don't have the power to do anything; l have the power to go back home and meet with my men and advise them.
 Governor Jones-Well, what are you a willing to advise them to do?
 MT. LaMont--What 1 have always ad- vised them.