The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-03-19
LAWS ARE IGNORED
BY CORPORATIONS
Who Control the Prosecuting Attorneys and the
Press III Some Sections of the State Says Gov
nor Dawson.

In a newspaper interview re-
garding mine disasters and mining
conditions in some sections of West
Virginia, Governor William NJ. O..
Dawson explained the deplorable
G%UsS, eS291saSn eEHhIRAfnY SyI z1ylng spEnK. nnhn
ING, is THE OPERATORS.
THERE is A CLASS WHICH
RESISTS THE MENT
OF THE Law"
sT BLAME THE BIG OPERA
TORS FOR THE FAILURE OF
THESE COUNTY PROSECU-
TORS TO DO THEIR DUTY.
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, THE
MINE COMPANY PREVENTS
IT."
ga CERTAIN CLASS OF
NINE OWNERS CONTROL
NEWSPAPERS, JUST AS THEY
DO PROSECUTING ATTOR-
NEYS."
When his attention was called
to the fact that the Stuart mine
was being operated in violation of
the law by employing over twenty
men in a mine with but one open
ing prior to the explosion which
caused the death of S3 miners, he
said:
sI THINK, THAT IF THOSE
OFFICIALS HAD BEEN PROSE-
CUTED AND SENT TO JAIL.
THE COMPANY WOULD NOT
HAVE CONTINUED TO DIS
OBEY THE LAW, AND THAT
THE LOSS OF LIFE WOULD
AT LEAST HAVE BEEN LIN
TIED TO 20. BUT THAT
SHOWS WHAT WE ARE UP
AGAINST"
r. We quote. from two paragraphs
from the preliminary report Of the
legislative mine Investigating COM
mittee, in one of which the COM
mittee says it ''has not learned or
been informed of single instance
where summary action has been
taken, or an attempt to enforce the
provision of law" and in the other
paragraph they say Gin some in
stances prosecutions have begun,
but on account of local conditions
they have failed, and the decisions
of the court have been adverse to
the department.
The paragraphs referred to read
as follows:
'In the evidence of nearly all
of the district mine inspectors
there appear many complaints OF
operators who have not responded
promptly to the demands of the
law in putting there mines in con-
dition of safety; and that, although
notified by the inspector. some of
the companies at this time have
not responded, and some of the
mines are in an unsafe condition.
This state of affairs should not ex-
ist: and is Incompatible with an
efficient, vigorous department.. 1t
was the duty of the district in-
spector when he found anything in
any mine which was dangerous to
the lives or health OF the miners,
at once to notify the company, and
require that it Immediately put
the mine in a safe and healthful
condition. This, it seems was
done i'll many instances, but stop
ped there. When the company
did not responds was the case
in many instances-it was the duty
of the district inspector immedi-
ately to notify the chief. 1t then
became the absolute duty of the
chief at once to execute the law as
laid down in section 16, above
quoted. This vigorous action
would have awakened in the oper-
ator 3 respect for the law and the
department. Yet the Committee
has not learned or been informed
| of a single instance where sum-
mary action has been taken, or an
! attempt to enforce the provieion
| Of law just above quoted"
"It appears from the evidence
| adduced in this investigation that
| the mine department., in certain
sections of the state, has not met
/ with the cooperation of the oper
| ators that it should have met with !;
| that many companies in the state
have failed to respond to the law
and obey the directions of the de-
partment, and in some instances