The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-05-04
Non-Union Coal Fields
Still Have Guards

Last fall Just before the election
Sam Dixon mouth piece the Evening
Mail come out with a long piece
about the guards being removed
from the Cabin Creek Coal fields.
This was Just little vote catching
scheme of the Republican party as
thugs who hire to the coal baron of
West Virginia are still patroling not
only the Cabin Creek Coal fields but
the New River field as Well. These
eXconvicts are brought into West
Virginia by the various so-callcd de-
tectiye agencies for the purpose of
lighting united mine workers and
to keep the miners in a state of
sub1ugation SO the coal operators
can rob and exploit them at will.
Conditions in the non-union coal
fields OF West Virginia would put
despotic Russo to shame. Here we
ma the miners at the mercy of the
armed and brutal guards forced to
live in slacks and howell and to buy
the necessities OF life from the
store owned by the coal corporations
and at the prices set by the COM
pany. II a miner refuse. 10 buy
from the company Or take his wages
out in script at Use on the dollar
kept by the operators for two pur-
poses. first to keep the union min
ers from coming in contact with the
men and second to hold their i'm
ported labor brought in on trans
portation from leaving until they
had worked out their debt to the
company. Look at this guard svs-
tenn from any angle you please and
you will find it nothing more or less
than peonage.
These men brought in on trans
portation are promised work at good
wages by the operators, but when
thcy arrive at the coal works they
md themselves from fifty to SIXTY
collars Ill debt to the company and
are forced to work for wages set by
the operators ana to pay the opera
tors double price for every thing
they nave to buy, consequences are
they lind to work as hard as they
may all they can do is to make a
living hence are unable to pay any
thlnS towards their transportation
DEBT to the company and are not al
lowed to have until this debt is
PAID IT this is not pconage than what
is? Both Democrats and Republicans
know of these conditions and both
democrats and Republicans have
sanctioned them. Neither one of the
daily papers have ever condemned
this diplorable state of affairs as
they are both owned soul and body
oE the coal baron and dare not pro-
test against this system of Russioniz-
ing West Virginia the only relief
from these conditions rests with the
workers themselves. They must or
ganize economically and politically.
JON your right union. pay your
dues and do every thing in your
power to build up a strong efficient
miners union and then join the DO
lltical party of the working class and
elect members of your own class to
make and execute the laws under
which you much live and work In
organization there is strength. un-
organized labor cant compete sue
cessfully with organized capital, nor
can an economic organization of
labor with out a political organiZa-
ton as Will over come the powerful
political organizations of capital
and destroy the thieves who are
now REMEMBERING our Offices. AS
long as the workers allow the coal
barons Of West Virginia to control
politics just so long will we be
cursed with this damnable guard sys-
ten.