The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-06-22
.HURRAH FOR
Mr.. DEVLIN.
Topeka Man Has Solved the
Strike Situation.
Be No More WaIkOuts In South
ern Kansas.
CLEMENS TRIBUTE.
He Says That Mr.. Devlin Treats
Miners Right.
Interesting Things About the
Strike.

G. c. Clemens has returned from the
mining district Of southeastern Kansas,
where he has been investigating the
strike situation and taking dispositions
to be used in the injunction suit
brought by the big four operators to
keep the strikers from getting their i'm
ported negro miners to stop work. The
hearing on the injunction was to have
come up yesterday, but the operators
wanted more time, and they were given
till Saturday. Judge Hook wired them,
however, that the case must be heard
on Saturday sure. The hearing Will be
at LeaVenwOrth.
Everything is quiet down there now
-prOVokingly quiet said Mr. Clemens.
There isn't the sign of diStur bance.
Although the operators imported over
hundred negroes, from birmingham
Alabama, only 27 of them are at work
I within the stockade. The rest have
joined the strikers.
The first thing Mr.. Clemens did after
reaching Pittsburg was to drive to
built and the negro miners had been
run in, so that he could find out for
himself the exact condition of affairs.
I'VE drove down road that had
high stOckade on each side of it, said
Mr.. Clemens, land came to a gate lead
ing into the enclosure. At the gate sat
q. negro guard with rifle across his
knees. I made up my mind that / was
going inside or be run away, and didn
care much which. While l was Jol-
lying the guard, Johnson began to talk
to two or three other men who were
standing near. One of these proved TO
be the foreman of the grounds. He
sized Johnson up and then said to him:
- Are you ClemenS?'
johnson told him no, and he didn
ask me at ALL suppose he looked at
my gray hairs and white necktie, and
made up his mind that such a pious-
looking chap as 1 was couldn't be
Clemens. He had been warned that 1
was headed that way, and he had pic
tured me out as a terrible looking, wild
eyed sort of an anarchist, and as soon
as he saw johnson he made up has
mind that Johnson was me. Now john
son threatens to sue the company Tor
damages.
LAS soon as johnson explained that
he was secretary of the state society OF
mines and that it was his duty to look
into the strike, we were taken inside
the stockade. 1t is built Of boards,
sharpened at the top, and about ten
feet high. 1t is a very large enclosure,
and the Missouri Pacific railroad runs
into and along one side. We were ta-
ken through some of the buildings, and
had an opportunity to count the num-
Der of tents the company had provided
for the imported negroes. There were
43 of them. In the dining room Win
chester was leaning up against the
wall. I don't know what part it played
in the process of digestion, but it was
kept there.
I'VE got hold of a copy of the circu-
lars which the operators had used IN
getting negroes to come from Blrming-
ham, They advertised the place they
wanted as Weir City, and said it was a
miners paradise. That they would get
a dollar a ton for the coal they mined
and that there were no str1kes. II was
plain deception. They got over hun
dred negroes to come to Kansas, but
instead of taking them to Weir City,
they ran the train straight through
Fleming right into the stockade: The
negroes had heard of the strike, though,
before they got to Fleming, so that the
great majority of them jumped off the
train at Fleming, and the company did
not get them inside the stockade- L
believe that the guards around that
stockade were there more for the pur-
pose of keeping the negroes from getting
out than to keep the strikers from get
ting in, because there wasn't sign OIL
any violence.
lone negro who had gone inside the
StOckade testified that when he and an
other negro tried to come out the armed
guard had held them up with his Win
chester, but after a while he had told
the guard that he hadn't committed any
crime, and was a free American citizen
and didn't propose to be kept a prisoner,
and he got out The other negro was
frightened back. This is the only one
who has got of the stOckade since the
train carried them in. They don't know
anything about the condition of affairs.
A few were brought to testify, and they
had guards with them all the time they
were outside the stockade. We can
prove in the federal court that these
negroes were induced to come there by
fraud.
lone negro testified that there were
no armed guards and never had been
any. At the same time L happened to
be in an adjoining room testifying that
there were armed guards there
Mr.. Clemens thinks that the outlook
is good for the miners. He says that
through the efforts of G. J. Devlin of
Topeka, who manages the coal interests
of the Santa Fe, an agreement has been
reached between the miners and the op-
orators who are not affected by the
strike, that will be a blessing to both
sides and will do away with strikes, and
will revolutionize the mining industry
of southeastern Kansas. There are II
operators in the district and only four
of them are affected by the strike. By
this agreement the miners will receive
60 cents per ton for all coal that comes
out of the mines the year around, there
by doing away with the screening sys-
TEN that has caused so much trouble.
The miners on the other hand have to
keep up a good average coal, and all
differences will be adjusted by arbitra-
ton. The operators which are at peace
with the miners have the privilege of
taking away the trade of the other op-
| orators.
Il wish to say a deserved word for
Mr.. Devlin. No philanthropy was
| needed. Diplomacy was all that was
required. and he had the good sense to
confer with the representatives of his
| men-wished them in fact to have rep
reSentatives to confer with-instead of
! standing off and arrogantly refusing to
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