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

-iIlispaSe called attention To If
apouS thlrty-hve thousand men ieay-
rug n state annually, which on the
race OF II would be Ridiculous
want TO say that i never make a
statement In n body of this kind nm.
teSs l have proof positive for th,
Statemen n when said Yesterday
mat during the last three wears.
.wentS thousand practical miners
mad left West Virginia, and thirtv-
Eve impractical fellows had besn
shipped in here. that statement Is
proven by an examination of the
DOCKS OF the coal companies of this
state. did not make This state
ment to IL down the prosperous
condition of the mining industry in
Vest virginia claim hat West
Virginia is, in my Judgment, so far
as mining is concerned, as good a
state as there is in the Union. and
l have advised my friends in other
'tates, where hav lived and work
ed. that there are better opportuni-
ues for a practical miner in Wes,
virginia than in any other states
and / am for West Virginia. bnt
hen 1t down to the employ
ment of impractical men, | saw that
should be stopped. BY the empov-
nent of impractical men lives are
Endangered, and when the law saw,
in this State that if you know the
N"N 81 III anu are hlllGu, YOU
are responsible and nobody else, /
say that when the practical miner
Understands that. and knows that
there Is danger, hen he steps out.
and l know n can prove that near
Philippi in this State, fo~rty-seven
s2ractical miners We're refused work,
unless they surrender their rights MS
citizens. and l know that on New
River practical miners who owned
their own homes. who are sober, who
are honest, but are refused work be-
cause they refused to surrender their
rights as American citizens, and l
kno that in my own country, as a
representative of the organization,
we had to ship out seven hundred
families, and into that section there
was imported fifteen hundred indi-
VldualS from New York, who had
never seen a coal mine, and who had
been brought here with the UNDER
standing and under the inducement
h they were going on farms. We
have afidavits in our possession
about those things. and they are open
or inspection. Their gents in New
York men to accept trans
~portation on the promise that they
we're to be given work on farms, and
that they could get from thirty to
thirty-five dollars n month on farms,
and then they were brought here in
cars and dumped out at the mines.
A VOICE:
And brought in the night time.
MIR. NUGENT:
1t Is not n practical miner ques-
ton, but it Is a question as to the
safety of human lives. | say that the
operator cannot claim that by adopt
ing a Law providing for practical
men that it will prevent them from
getting 4 sufficient number of min
ars in this State. We do believe that
the inexperienced men should be
protected from himself, and we take
it from the best authorities in the
world. There is not an authority on
mining anywhere in the world today
that does not say the inexperienced
man should be protected from him
SELF. The report of the chief mine
inspector shows the wisdom, when
he calls attention of the Governor
and The people of this State to the
fact that something must be done.
The Supreme Court of this State tells
the people of this State that where
a person doesn't know the danger,
he should be prevented from going
into the danger. That is all we ask
in connection with the matter, not
to keep anybody out, but let all the
new ones come in hat want to, but
put it in a position whereby thous-
ands of impractical men, who are
not getting steady work in other
states and IN other districts can come
to our State. and make it the best
State in the Union. is our only con-
tention In the matter. If l knew
that our men could be protected. had
the assurance of reasonable protec-
ton, and that the advocacy of this
measure would stop one man from
coming into the State, | would be op-
posed to 1t. / do not ask for it for
any special reason, for myself. Blu:
taking the authorities on the sub
iect, taking the report of the chief
mine inspector, which came to me
and 1 read and compared with re-
PORTS from all other sections, l
deemed 1t wise to offer a suggestion
that at least-just see what little
we ask-that at least the indiyid-
ual going into a dangerous place
should have reasonable knowledge of
the dangers. should have reasonable
knowledge of the rules under which
lie works. or if he has not or is not
of having reasonable knowl-
edge of the rules or the dangers. that
we may say to him. You must go
under the direction of some indi-
vidual who has such knowledge"
Does it keep anybody out? The only
question that comes up is that the
inexperienced man is not entitled to
as mucn compensation as the exper-
fence man. and as a result the
question of compensation is raised.
regardless of the injury that may be-