The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-11-15

never have worked any place else.
These men are not going to other
states to work, If they do they viii
rob the mine industry of that state,
and the only way we can get sufii-
cient miners in this State is to make
miners out of those who have mined
coal 1t does not require today the
experience or hardship TO become
miner that 1t did In the days gone by
when we used to have to go to mine
our coal with our picks and shovels.
1t is not so hard now. Men load
coal, machines cut it; they don't lie
down in the wet places and work like
we did in the days gone by and II
law like that were to be passed 1t
would. as l said before. inture the
American miner as much as 1T would
injure the operator, because in the
well organized districts today the
foreign clement is coming in there
paying their initiation fees, or it is
paid for them before they get there,
and they are there ready to take
them in the mines and learn them
how to mine coal, and men with
their little homes on the hillside In
the same locality cannot go in these
mines. Men who were born and
raised within gunshot of where the
shaft is now sunk live on the land
that their grandfathers owned, can
not enter these mines when others
are coming over and being admitted
in there. Why? Cannot get any
one to work With them. This thing
is being enforced to certain ex'
tent, gentlemen, in localities where
they have no law. They attempted
THU; law in the State of Ohio last
winter, idertica1ly the very one that
is demanded here. 1t was declared
or would have been declared uncon-
stitutional If It had passed, such was
the statement OF the Attorney Cen
eral. If many men in this section OF
the country were to be eye witnesses
OF these things that are transporting
In other districts OF this country
they would not ask for law or that
kind; they would not ask for law
that would bar out relatives who
happened to have never worked in
mine. They would be very angry II
they were to see the result OF some
of it in the sections as | said before
where there is no law, and hope
that you gentlemen, when you come
to consider this proposition. that you
will weigh 1t very carefully and take
into consideration the good ana the
bad effects OF it.. 2And if you do that,
l feel sure, and if necessary make
further inquiries into other states, II
you please, where the same thing
has been attempted. and see If there
Is anything in it that would benefit
the man that is a native of this coun-
try, whether he be black or white.
So far as l am individually con-
carned. SO far as our company Is
concerned, it would not make so very
much difference; we are fairly well
supplied with men, some mines In
Ohio we are fairly well supplied with
men and at some mines we have n
surplus. but as l say to you, they
won't leave there, they have been
there for years, but the injustice OF
Ia hi tie. hot I n n MI rD
not see one iota OF gain for those on
the other side. This argument that
tho Inexperienced man Is the man
that does all the damages in the
mine is nonsense; there is nothing to
it and I know it. AS l said, we have
more trouble with the fellow who
thinks he knows it all than we have
with the man who does not think h
knows It all. He is not the mar
that takes up the lantern and goes
over on the railroad tonight and is
killed: it is the man who has fol
lowed an engine for years, as gen
eral thing. The new man does not
take the chance.--the old one does
l have worked in entries where men
We're inexperienced and | felt safer
than with my Buddy who was an
experienced man. He was the man
who would always come around and
stick his lamp up some place to see
If there was any gas, and he some
times found it.
Now, gentlemen, I believe that !
have said all that | have to say in
this matter. and | thank you kindly
for listening SO attentively to my few
remarks. and | assure yOu that so
far as our company is concerned thai
we do not ask any Legislature to
make any laws that will permit us
to work mines without proper ven
tilation. You have one hundred
cubic feet per man as the minimum.
Now, another word: 1t is not a safe
proposition to take any law and fiy
the maximum. All gaseous mines
are not alike: some places is requires
Il greater current of air to clear thai
mine than others. and there is way
of testing whether that mirc is clear
or not and it is the mine INSPECTORS
duty, or should be. to see that there
is a sufficient amount of air pass
ing through there to make it safe,
and wherever we find a mine wherr
it is practically impossible to make
it safe. it is better to let it stand anC
not work it at all. than to take the
chance OF an explosion.
l heard some remarks about dust
explosions. Some gentleman mad"
the remark that he walked in dus'
in the entry over shoe-deep. That
might be true. What kind of dust
was it? Does all dust explode
Would ashes explode if they were ir