The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-03-01
Fair171ont
Comp on p p'!lln1 any i ],
!. Not.D!.eflia!;11t
Operators 'l; t Do,t;un;! 3
State in Bad at .
Charleston

~ : H.-' O. 4.
It Is learned on good authority that be:
cause Of the failure OF the legislature
to give serious consideration to mine
laws and also because It seems to be
impossible 10 enforce the laws that
are now on the statute books. the
State mine department may be pracu.
cally abandoned. AZ
The governor can accomplish a
change OF this nature BY taking one
Of two steps; first. vetolng the appro-
priatlon for salaries and expenses;
second. by failure to appoint district
deputy inspectors. A we'll authentI.
Gated story Is in circulation to the
effect that Governor.elect' Glasscock
will appoint only the chief Inspector
and do nothing towards naming the
assistants.
That would be very drastic step,
but 1t IS said that the hostility Of some
OF the coal operators IN the lower end,
Of the State and their power in cir
cumventIng prosecutions instituted by
the mine departmt lnave convinced
the administration that to maintain
an expensive department at public ex.
'pense Is useless. Practically every
serious explosion that has occurred
in tile lower end Of the State has been
in a mine against which there was EVIL
denec thaYit was being operated in
defiance OF laws. Prosecutions that
have been attempted against operators
in some Circuit courts and before jus.
tices Of the reace have Invariably
failed. Complaint was mado 70 CIV.
ernor Dawson that one circuit judge
had poshnone'l mine nearing several
days, this course being in direct con.
fliet with the statute which commands
an Immediate hearing in such cases.
However, It is said When miners are
arraigned before Justices Of the peace
for Infractlons OF the mine laws. pun
lshment Is swift and sure. The de-
partment las no trouble in failing amy
number OF coal dlggsrs: but It cannot
reach the operators and to date has
made a signal failure at enforcing the
law. especially along the Norfolk and
Western. All Instance OF the temper
Of some Of the operators toward the
mine laws. was exhibited only a few
days ago. When the question of re-
qulrlng the employment Of shot-frers
was pending. a Norfolk and Western
operator sent word to Charleston
that he would be damned II he would
ever hire shot-tlrers In llls mine. And,
1t Is known that the governor feels
that so long as present conditions pre-.
vail down In the State the opera
tor could make good his boast re.
gard1ess Of whait laws the leglsla.
ture might enact. On the other
hand It Is reported that the FaIrmont
Coal Company which to Its credit mas
not been among those companies that
hurl defiance ut the mine depart
ment. Is going to install voluntarily a
shot-flrer system.
A Sensational Story.
The reputed feeling Of the ontgo.
Ing and possibly the incoming COVER.
nor too, in regard to the usefulness OF
q mine department that cannot get
enough legal aid to make itself re.
SPECIFIED. Is said to have been height
ened by the existence OF the COVER
nor's Office OF a documentary mass
viii hclf touched off with the match
|of publicity would make louder
noise than m equal quantity OF nitro
glyocrine. The governor had heard
complaints from district mine inspec-
tors that they were shu dowed, threat.
ened. wined, dlned and cajoled, MS the
case might be, and he had also ne
cc!ved certain llsquleting Information
from the government concerning pc.
onage In the Norfolk and Western re-