The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-09-21

ginia is the damnable guard sys-
tenn, employed by the coal barons OF
our state. Such conditions as ex-
ist on Cabin Creek, New River and
other n~on-union coal fields OF the
state, are a disgrace to civilization,
and an outrage on American man
mood: he brutalities of the hired
thugs of the capitalists and coal OPP.
orators, surpass that of the Cos
sacks of Russia. The peonage prac-
ticed by Barbarous Mexico, of which
We read with horror, is practiced
aere in our own county and state.
Russianizad West Virginia, where
the l~aw-abidins citizens are subject
to brutalities and outrages eGuaIed.
only by hose endured by the OPP
press, ignorant and brow-beaten
poems of Mexico. Every crime
Known to criminality has been com
mitted by these hired convicts Of the
coal baropS. These men will ston
i3hor OF no crime. Men have been
murdered by these dcsperados, for
no other offense than belonging to n
Labor Union. To go into Cabin
Creek or New River districts and
declare yourself a labor organizer,
is to invite DEATH. ALI the excuse
these guards want is to slug and
murder a workinSman, is to know
that he is a union man. To even
be known as Il union sympathiZer is
all the p~rovocation necessary to be-
come the object of q brutal attack
by the gun-men. Where is our
much boasted freedom in this lana
Of Liberty? Do you call it "A Land
OF Liberty where q citizen cannot
travel our public highways unless he
first get the permission of the coal
barons? y land of the free, when
n citizen has to get permission to go
to the Federal Postoftlce? If YOU
do not believe these conditions exist,
go into Cabin Creek or the New
River Coal Fields and see how far
you get without being held up by the
Company's guards In these isolated
places, the miners are absolutely at
the mercy of the Goa companies and
their armed guards. Through foul
means and ~trickery, the coal com
panies have been enabled to elect
their Justices, who, with the other
county and state officials, are but q
art OF The great corrupt machine Of
oppression. Hear the testimony of
one of these hired guards. whose
oath would not be taken in He'll. is
all the den needed to convict
Il man. The most notorious of these
subsidized Justices, are Crawford,
CT Cabin Creek and Stayton of Loup
Creek. Eat we will deal with these.
gentlemen in n future article on the
subject h questions hat now
confronts us are these: Who are
responsible for these inhuman con-
ditions in h coal fields? Who;
commission or clothe with authority
these u men of the coal barons?
For what purpose are these men
commissioned and retained by tho
coal operators?
First We will take up the question
of responsibility. The coal
les have entered into a deal with the
railroad corporations and politicians
of both old parties for the purpose
of fighting ~OrganiZcc. labor in his
section. The corporations through
their tools, the state M county onl-
Gals. who permit these outragcS to
be perpetrated, are responsible for
the conditions, and are equally guilty
with the hired m who erp
trate the crimes. Our legislature
could have passed Il law abolishinG
the guard system, and making uch
A thing impossible. but neither DEM
ccratS are republicans offered any
such measure. Therefore the whoIe
! responsibility rests on the state and
county officials for not enforcing the
law, and protecting the rights and
liberties of the working men of the
state.
In answer to the second question
these men are commissioned and
clothed with authority by the Gov
ernor, given free transportation by
the railroad corporations, and paid
by the coal barons for whom they
work.
Governor Glasscock in his address
on Labor Day said he believed in
organized labor. But his actions
when he commissions and IegaliZes
these outlaws, belle his words. In
the first place, these men are o
commissioned as coal company
guards, out as railroad detectives.
But the railroads don't pay them Il
cent. as they draw their salaries
from the coal companies. This is
Il fraud on the fac of the transact
ion. We can show that these
guards are maintained by the coal
companies. and commissioned by the
Governor. for the sole purpose of