Arizona republican., 1913-06-19
On Eve of Departure of Senate Committee Inves- tigating Conditions in West Virginia Comes a New Situation
OPERATORS ON
 WITNESS STAND
Claim Made That "Mother" Jones and Other Labor Agitators Are RespOnsi- ble for Trouble in Paint and Cabin Creek
TASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATCH1 L cN A c

ASSOCIATED PRESS DISPATCH
 CHARLESTON. June 18.-A gener- al strike of the miners in the New River coal field district No. 29 of the united mine workers of America, will be called next week, according to an announcement tonight by Thomas Haggerty, a member of the interna- tiOnal miners board. 15,000 are em- ployed in the field
 The senate mine strike investigating committee closed it's work here for the present and started tonight for Wash ington. The committee took under ad- vfsement the request of the attorneys for the West Virginia coal operators that a sub committee be allowed to re- turn at a later time to complete the taking of evidence which the operators desire to submit. The investigation will be resumed soon at Washington.
 Today the operators controlling the mines where the trouble last year re- suited in riot and b1Oodshed continued the presentation of their side of the controversy A witness was called who contradicted the contention of the miners that the presence of mine guards" in the district was the cause of the trouble. Other witnesses were men working in the mines who told the committee that the wages paid. the conditions of work and life were satis- factory.
 When the committee resumes it's sessions in Washington a controversy will begin over the attitude of Senator Maritime of New Jersey, one of the members of the committee toward the investigation. The operators attorneys today asked that following yesterdays near fist fight between Maritime and Witness Quinn Morton. one of the operators be allowed a place in the record newspaper articles, one of them including a written statement by Mar tine criticising the operators The re- quest was made to Senators Swanson and Kenyon but both argued with the operators and persuaded them to post pone any action in that direction until the committee returned to Washing ton 4 serious controversy over Mar tines activities hare will probably re- suit.
 Several employees of a detective agency who acted as mine guards in the strike district were called by the operators today All defended the ac- tion of the guards, asserting that the original trouble was started by the miners and that the guards used guns only when forced to do so.
 In the afternoon the operators put on witnesses to show the activities Of armed miners throughout the strike and called witnesses who testified that Mother" Jones and other labor agi- tators were the beginning of the troubles and urged the miners at the Union Mines in the Kanawha district near the strike zone to arm themselves to air the strikers.
 F. H. Suddy superintendent of the Union Mine at Boomer. in the Kama wha field said that the Italian who was killed in one of the first battles was employed at his mine. He told of a speech delivered by Mother" Jones at his mine in which, he said, she urged the miners to keep their guns and save money to buy more.
 James C1aggett. coal inspector of Boomer, told of hearing Mother" Jones make an "inflammatory'' speech. ''She told the miners he said when she was ready for them to use the guns she would let them know. She said she was going to Charleston to tell the governor that if he did not release the prisoners held at the Pratt military headquarters they would tear up the state"
 C. C. Woods, a negro miner of Boo mer said he heard the same speech and Mother Jones told the men that if necessary she would take a gun and go with them"
 Did she use profane language?" asked Attorney Knight for the opera tors. ''She swore a good deal for lady" the miner replied.