The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-24

Who Dynamted sapho?
 Rock Slope No. T. of which I write
 above, is the location of the house of Jim Sapha, a prosperous non-union
 negro miner, whose house was dyna
 mited a few nights ago and almost
 totally destroyed. This occurred while
 Jim and his wife were peacefully sleep ing in an adjoining room to the part totally wrecked. Jim was not a striker
 nor was he in sympathy with them.
 The question is, who did the dastardly act?
 While at Blossburg yesterday your correspondent wended his way out to the public road, away from the camp, and there met number of the striking miners, hailed them and requested that they state the cause of this strike. They insisted that this information should be obtained from the officers of the miners union. Asked if they had any real grievance against the opera tors, they answered very many Asked to state what these were, they declined They were then questioned as to whether or not they had ever presented their grievances to the con- panies verbally or in writing. They an swered that they had not because they had no organization or union. Asked why they did not apply for relief as individuals, they answered that they could not,
 Interview With MT. Fairley.
 AS sequel to these interrogatories which were denied answers, this writer's conversation with MT. Farley on the train coming here this morning may have a bearing. To MT. Farley this writer related the above converse
 tion Said he: "Yes, there is reason
 why they did not apply for relief, and that reason is that had they done so they would have been discharged i'm
 mediately as "agitators" and disturbers of the peace of the mines. hey dared
 not do so."
 MT, Fairley," asked your correspond ent. lis it possible that business mer, whose very capital depends in "a large i measure upon labor, would deny tha- labor the right of appeal for relief from alleged or real burdens?"
 Yes" said MT. Fairley, for l know that they have discharged and driver from their mines men who were charged with no other offense than such pleas for relief"
 MT Farley, when labor is in suSh constant and urgent demand do you think it wisdom on the part of employers to ill-treat labor? Don't you think 1t
 to their interest to satisfy and care for and thus hold the labor?" was asked 1 the union leader.
 l MT. Fairley: There has been no 1 scarcity of labor in this district since the panic began. Furnaces and min 5
 have been closed down and there has
 been more labor than work. Hence the | advantage of the employer as against 1 labor"
 | This writer could not but believe in | this connection that the operator would
 provide for operations by. considerl 1 tion for labor, even from a selfish | standpoint.
 ] MT. Fairley says there are 19,000 coel
 miners in the Birmingh am district; th't t
 prior to this last strike 4000 of them l, only were union men, but that today 1 15. 900 are well organized in unions and i only 1000 in the open shops, or mines. He further declares that he Is well 1 satisfied with the progress the union 1 is making in organizing the remaining force and that matters in general are | practically with his people, except the i frequent shootings by deputy sheriff "Of course" said MT Fairley, so long as deputy sheriffs or any other
 man or set of men unlawfully sh t at union miners they are likely to pro : | tect themselves, just as other men l would do; but, as a rule, the striking miners are for law and order." MT. Fairley says that the cut in the i scale for mining coal, short weights. 1 sh ort time and other grievances, and ! an awakening of men who had worked | for a time in the open mines to their rights, are the prime causes of the present strike"
 At this writing he is speaking to a party of union men at a point one l mile from this station urging them to stand steadily with the union in its demands.
 Operators Say "Let Us AIone.v Officers of the Tennessee company as
 sert that they will complete the work l of filling their mines with full quota
 of labor within a few weeks if their
 legal rights are protected that they 1 only ask to be let alone, and that eacn l and every day recruits are coming in l to them to take the places of the men l who have refused to work l And so the story goes from two days | observation. And yet this is not all. l With instructions to learn the facts and | print them. this writer shall continue the story of this harmful strike He will seek facts and opinions from every source. He will knock at the door of the sanctum sanctorum of operators -Ir T. i.