The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1902-12-25
GOAL OPERATORS BEGIN,
Testimony for Their Side of Con-
trovefsy Opened Up Before
Anthracite Commission.
NoNuNIoH lABoRERs ON the STAND.


Lawyers Try to Prove That Reign OF
. Terror Existed In the Coal Fields
During Anthracite Coal Strike
Stories of Alleged Boycotts and In.
timidatlon.
Scranton, Pa, Dec. 10. - The an
thracite coal operators opened their
side of the controversy with the
mine workers Wednesday before the
strike commission, and the attorneys
who are on record before the COM
mission as representing the nom
union men, who have been admitted
to the arbitration scheme, began call
ing witnesses. The sessions were
probably the liveliest yet held by the
commission. At the morning session
the miners lawyers challenged the
fairness of certain wage statements
handed to the commission by the
Pennsylvania Coal company, and in
the afternoon Lawyer barrow had
q spirited discussion with Chairman
Gray as to whether or not the miners
had right to know who is paying
the lawyers representing the nom
union men before the commission.
Mr.. barrow asserted they were en-
ployed by the coal operators. Pre-
ceding this Simon p. Wolverton.
counsel for the Reading company.
who delivered the opening address on
behalf of all the large coal compa-
MES, made the point in his address
that the recognition of the union IS
not an issue before the commission:
which brought out a protest from
Mr.. barrow. The latter claimed that
if it were not, then the operators.
should be forbidden from presenting
testimony that tended to show the
union was responsible for all the al.
legged violence committed during the
strike.
Say Reign of Terror Existed.
Scranton, Pa, Dec. 19.-The coal
strike commission listened Thursday
to further testimony tending to show
that a reign of terror existed in the
anthracite coal fields during the 51a
months of the mine workers strike.
About a score of witnesses were
called during the two sessions by the
attorneys for the nonunion men.
They told of serious boycotts, bru-
tai attacks by crowds of men, wom-
en- and boys, and an attempt to burn
the house of nonunion man. In
most instances the witnesses testi-
fed that the alleged offenders were
members of the miners union. The
lawyers for the miners objected fire.
quently to the admission of testi-
lnony or hearsay and sometimes OBJ
jected because of irrelevancy of GER
tain other statements.
Chairman Gray said the commission
was not bound by any strict rules
of evidence, but asked counsel to con-
fine themselves in examining wit
nesses as for as possible to direct
evidence. He said it was too difficult,
in trying to prove that boycotts ex-
list, to get information on the subject.
The commission, he said, wanted to
know whether reign of terror ex-
listed in the anthracite region, and it
could not get that information if the
strict rules of evidence were applied.
1.-THE coward who will go to the
he said, land tell them
not to sell the necessaries of life to
a poor woman, usually seeks the OBJ
security that the law of evidence
throws around him. If a girl is dis
charged from her position in store.
because she rode I'M a street car in
inclement weather, while street car
strike was on, the coward who dis
charged her is coward enough to re-
fuse to testify" He recognized, he
said, why some merchants will not
come forward and tell who forced
him to refuse to sell necessaries Of
life to certain boycotted persons, but
if he Chairman Cray were store
keeper, he thought he would risk his
all in order to assist in breaking up
the cowardly business.
Life Made Miserable.
Scranton, Pa, Dec. 20.-Nonunion
men, some of their relatives and 9TH
ers to the number of 80, appeared be-
fore the coal strike commission and
told their stories of alleged boycotts,
iptimidations, dynamiting and vio-
lence in various forms, during the late
strike. Each witness called was a
sufferer in one form or another at the
hands, they alleged, of union men.
Four witnesses said attempts were
made to blow up their houses, one
house was badly damaged, many of
the witnesses were threatened with
bodily harm; several were beaten, one
was shot in the leg, every one stoned,
boycotted or hung in efRgy. One
school teacher testified having lost his
position because his father did not
strike. One man was asked to resign
from a Catholic temperance society,
and another witness was expelled
from local lodge of the Ancient Or
der of Hibernians, after a membership