The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-09-17
THUGS ARE
EXPOSED
BY Hon Charles Hill, of Fayette
County, Prohibition Candidate
for Congress.
Cossack and "Guard'' system
Shown up as Exists in the New
River Field of the yellow Dog
Lease.

oS SCeS, w. d.. sep llCD-
Hon. Charles Hill, candidate for
Congress in the 3rd district, on the
Prohibition ticket in talking of
conditions in the New River coal
field, especially, and more broad.
ly, throughout the state, today
expressed himself in the follow
ing words on the matter of private
police and guards as maintained
by the coal operators, lumber
companies and railroads:
''Ies, L notice public, men are
giving willing CD expression to
their opinion or attitude Oh the
very live matter of private police
men. guards etc, the concensus
thereof being that such non-re-
Sidents, rarely citizens, should be
bonded like public officers who are
constitutionally provided for and
duly elected or appointed, thereby
giving to such guard or watchman
quasi status or character as a
public official, whereas many of
these fellows are as rule the
greatest set of violators of the
rights, persons and properties of
our citizens and of the laws that
were ever permitted to be turned
loose by one private citizen among
an aflronted law abiding people
only to intimidate labor from
organizing at the instance of
organized capital.
Many little mining towns are
incorporated and policed in this
manner by non resident policeman.
not citizens of the state, for this
self same purpose. These people
have no legal status; their presence
among us is an admission of the
incompetency of local self govern
ment which / do not concede.
They are an instrument of tyranny
a few people.
They "work' their dupes who
employ them, create disturbances
only to perpetuate their employ
men, and exert prying. un-
warranted surveillance among the
people that arouse and exaSperate
the very best and law abiding
citizens. If employers instead
of having these mercenaries had
the milk of human kindness in
their hearts and would increase
the pay of their employees by the
amount they eXpend for such
dubious protection they would
realize in the manly hearty re-
sponse and loyalty of the latter
their greatest possible security.
These policemen, watchmen,
guards, detectives are usually rep
resentativeS of agencies foreign to
our state and usually are nm
citizens; some are graduates from
penal institutions, hence they are
not eligible to perform the duties
of public officials. 1t is a serious
thing to arrest, lay hands on or
obstruct the proud American
citizen if he knows his rights, vet
these men in many instances lay
violent hands on drunken men men
respectfully going about lawfnl
avocationS. ply them With imper
tinent questions, turn timid people
round i'll the roads, prevent miners
from soliciting aid for their fellows
in time OF strikes. and work a
pendemonium of anarchy have
not told the worst.
L am opposed 20 giving these
men the official or semi official
status of constitutional and duly
elected or appointed officers, and
believe that their withdrawal from
among us should be insisted upon
and that the maintenance of law
and order and the protection OF
life and property are matters fol-