The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-01-30


signed by 239. union men of Kan
awha county, appealing to him to
use his influence for the passage of
the 'tlGuard" Bill or the embedy-
ing in the general mining laws a
section providing for the protect
ion of the miners and others against
the "gnard" system as it is now
maintained by coal operators in
many sections of the state, making
the said corporations responsible
for the acts of these agents. and
bond the so-called ''guards" in the
same manner as peace officers. =
In this connection we desire tC
call the attention of those who are
so industriously laying plans for
the defeat of this measure by de
clarlng that 1T cannot be brought
before the special session because it
was not set forth in the Governors
call, to portion of section 10 of
the mining laws, which is as fol-
lows:
''Nor shall any person or per
sons, or combination of persons.
by force, threats, menaceS or in
timldation of any kind, prevent or
attempt to prevent from working
In or about any mine, any person
or persons who have the lawful
right to work i'll or about the same
and who desires so to work.
In view of this fact, there can be
no plausible argument advanced
against the embodying of section
to the mining laws providing that
no person or persons, or combina-
ton of persons, by force, threats,
menaces or intimidation of any
kind, compel any person or persons
to work in or about the mines
against their will or under condi-
tlonS that are contrary to the laws
OF this state, or in any way deprive
the said wOrkmcn of their rights
and privileges as citizens.
If law can be enacted leriSla-
ting against force and intimidation
being used to prevent persons from
working when they desire to do so.
what reason can be advanced why
one cannot be passed to prevent
force, coercion and intimidation on
the part of guards to compel
persons to work against their will
and deprive them of rights guar
anteed them under the ConStitu-
ton of the State and the United
United StateS7
That these methods are used by
guards" in. many sections of our
state cannot be denied. and as a
Verlfication Of our statement we re-
fer our readers to the peonage mes
sage of the Governor to the last
session of the legislature. many
quotations from which have ap
peared i'll these columns, and we
herewith print a portion of a letter
from Hon. Elihue Root, Secretary
of State of the United States, to
Governor Dawson, in this connec-
ton:
'sTheSe laborerS found the work
was not that for which they had
been hired and were fit. but was
mining work of a dangerous char
acter and of which they had no eX-
perlence whatever; that they pro
tested and wished to leave, but in
the night they were stopped by
armed men of the company. their
foreman manacled and others sub
jected to such brutal threats that
three or four among the youngest
and most delicate tainted away:
that some money, one hundred and
slXtyfou dollars in all, being then
scraped together the company re-
covered the amount of expenses in
CURED for transportation, five or
six of the men, the weakest. were
sent back to Hoboken, where they
are now, one of them made i'll by
the fright and rough experience he
had undergone: that the others
were held by force, put under sur
Vellance, locked up for six days in
car Cd Il bread and water diet;
that one of these is also i'll. that
their letters and kilograms were in
tercepted, and it was only by
stealth and subterfuge that they
We're able to communicate indirect
ly with their friends and relatives
and call for help"
#s*
In reporting on the Raleigh