The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-01-28
Of the Violations of
the Laws by the Powers
that Control the Coal In
dustry->cGuard System Blot
on Civilization

to the POSITION 1 have taken.
"Having> over thirty-five years
experince in mines, serving in
every capacity from trapper to
the position of superintendent of
mines for years in this and other
states, and have had ta contend
with all the dangerous gases met
WlthIln mines and all other Son-
ditions pertaining to mines, aid
DO not say it boastingly but con-
scienticusly> that not one fatal
accident is credited to my man
agement.
"While in some Instances onr
laws may be lame, if those we
have were enforced a great deal
toward safety would be acomplish-
ed. claim that it is practical to
keep our mines free from such
dangerous qualities ofgas and dust
to cause such terrible destruction
OF life and property as that which
occurred at the model Monongah
mines and at other mines too
numerous to mention, by having
our mine department and our
mine superintendent practical and
eXpel1nced miners, who get; their
knowledge by working. in the
mines and not by going through a
college or university where they
studied economy in mines, that is
to say men are cheaper than mules.
''Is it not disgrace to have it
spread broad cast all over land
that nearly 100 poor miners lost
their lives at the Stuart mines in
Fayettc county, this state, in open
violation Of our laws. Should not
the owners of said mines and our
mine department be held account
able and punished accordingly.
If violations of our laws are not
criminal offences then why not
discharge this standing body of
mine inspectors in justice to our
TAX payersf Are cur miners re-
sponsible for the installing of those
Internal electric machines. which
do not only place our miners lives
in jeapordy but destroy our coal
us 1t not fact Gentlemen, that
when our coal was mined by the
old system of mining that our
mines received better pay and the
consumers bought cheaper fuel.
Then why should such conditions
DC allowed to exist in our minesY
And gentlemen, the cruel impo-
sition i'll the system of weighing
and loading coal at the various
miners should not be allowed
There should be some system.
regulating this evil.
s'1n the Pan Handle district
where ! belong, they run coal over
a hay ladder and pay our miners
only for that which chances to 90
over In the Fairmont REGION to
compete with this system they
pay by the bulk, or as the miners
say, 15c an acre. Now Gentlemen.
there not be some system
regulating this cruel and unlawful
action, and do away with this
unfair competition which brings
distress and misery in all our
mine districts, by having our
miners paid for the coal they mine.
and weighed, in the car in which
1t is loaded, by the ton, and let
that price be just what the law and
supply would dcmand,''
We would suggest that while
the legislators are considering the
above appeal that they also paw
some attention to the prayer Of
the people who work in and
around the mines in the greatest
portion of the state to be relieved
from virtual peonage-the lawless
and damnable s:Guard'' system
that now prevails and by string
ent enactment rid the state of the
hundreds of Simon Legrees who
prey upon the miners and their
sympathizers. The laws of our
God and our torefathers demand
it.