Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-05-22
GOV. O'FERRALL ON THE STRIKE.
GIVES THE CAUSES OFT.
1t is an Operators Strike.
The Miners Used as Cat's-Paws.
The following is from the Richmond
Sf1fo of 10 OF TVo1pacIo

The Miners Used as Cat's-Paws.
The following is from the Richmond
State of last Wednesday,
Governor O'FerralI returned from
Pocahontas this morning. more than
ever convinced that there would have
been trouble of the most serio-s char
acter at that place, but for the pres
ence of the military.
Just look at the situation, said he,
Here were from four to six thousand
striking miners from West Virginia.
composed largely of Hungarians. Poles
and other foreigners, coming into Po-
eahontas to force the men in those
mines to go out. OF course the au-
thorities there would have been power
less, and that there would have been
rioting and destruction of property
and loss of life is certain.
Il have great sympathy with the
West Virginia miners" he went on.
They have been badly treated and
they are being made the cat's-paws of
the coal operators, for" added the
Governor with emphasis, "ths is a
coal operators strike,
He then gave the following interest
ing facts which he cleaned from the
most reliable source:
Prior to April 1st, the coal in that
section was sold by the operators to
| the Pocahontas Coal Company, all the
stock of which belongs to the Norfolk
& Western Railroad Company. Under
the contract then in force, the coal
producers received for their coal in
cars at the mines an average of 724
cents per gross ton and the Pocahontas
| Coal Company disposed of the product
| to the best advantage and paid to the
railroad company the net balance for
its freight charges. The price of coal
went down to such a low figure during
the panic, that while the coal opera
price of 724 cents per gross ton, the
total gross receipts of the railroad com
pany for transportation were less than
three mills per mile. The result was
that while many of the operators earn
ed 25 per cent. on their capital invest
ed the railroad company was forced in
| to the hands OF receivers. 1t would
have been impossible, therefore, for
the railroad company or the receivers
to have continued to guarantee SO
large a price to the operators, but
apart from this u law was enacted by
the last session of the West Virginia
Legislature prohibiting railroads from
selling coal and this of itself compelled
the Norfolk and Western to retire from
the business. On April 1st, Cashier &
Curran were chosen by the operators
as their general sales agents. After
conference between the receivers OF
the railroad company and the commit
tee of the operators, an arrangement
was agreed upon which would have
netted the operators an average GA
cents per ton at the mines. At the
time that this arrangement was made,
the operators were asked by the re-
ceivers if they intended to reduce the
wages of the miners and they replied
that they did not. But without notice
to the receivers they did subsequently
cut wages to take effect May LIST.
AS consequence, the West Virginia
satisfied that the operators forced
them to do so in order to force the
railroad company to reduce its freight
charges to the ruinous rates that had
resulted in putting the road in the
| hands of receivers. The receivers are
responsible to the court for their con
duct of the roads affairs and they are
not permitted to haul freight at rate
that is ruinously low.
All this trouble, mind you, is in West
Virginia. The operators at Pocahon-
tas have stood by their agreement,
have not red aced wages and the men
are entirely satisfied with their wages
and the treatment they received. As
| evidence of this, the Governor in his
speech at Pocahontas called on ali who
had a grievance against the Southwest
| Company to make it known and no
man responded. On the contrary,
there were many who said publicly
that they had no grievance and any
number of miners called on the Gov
ernor privately, told him that they
were without the means of support,
and were anxious to work, but were
afraid to do so.
| Their fear grew out of the fact that
the West Virginia miners, who are
backed by the West Virginia opera
tors, are threatening them with vio-
lence if they work and it is to protect
these men in their right to work that
the Governor Is keeping troops at
Pocahontas. The Governor further
couraging the striking miners in every
way By giving them picnics and sup
plying them with food and shelter
There are 900 miles of the Norfolk
and Western railroad in Virginia and
as a result of the strike, industries all
along the lines are shut down, and
thousands of people are thus thrown
out of employment. And here is
most significant incident. The Gov
ernor was going to relieve from duty
the Roanoke Machine Works Guards,
a company composed Of workingmen
from those shops, but has left them on
duty on petition of the men themselves
who stated to him that they were
thrown out of employment on account
of this strike and preferred to remain
on duty as soldiers to going home to be
idle.
But the situation is improving
When the Governor left there were 300
men at work in the mines of the
Southwest Company. Sixty more
were to go on last night, 200 more were
expected to day and 400 more on to-
morrow. The company is taking back
it's old men, upon application, except
in the case of a few obstreperous lead
ers.