Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-08-21


frowns from the mountain side at
Mucklow. There was scarcely a day
but 4chronicled some heious assault
made upon the miners or some mem
Der of their families by these brutal
gunner. Day after day the strike
wen doggedly on, but on the part of
the miners there was little of that
militant spirit that stamps a success
full struggle.
But in June something happened.
That something was the silent advent
of Mother" Jones. From that day
new life was infused into the miners.
The spirit of the battle now rose over
the unorganized slaves of Cabin Creek
the mountains and filtered down on
For long years they had been without
the semblance of organization, and
were therefore at the mercy of the
constituencies operators of that sec
ton. They knew that the fight of the
Paint Creek miners was their fight
alone. But no organizer could ever
penetrate Cabin Greek without taking
his life in his hands. The creek was
infested by murderous guards. Many
narrowing tale can be told Of the
murderous- work of these human
ghouls. Their cry was heard by
Mother Jones and she determined to
go to their relief.
One evening in late July when dai k
ness was settling down on these noun
tais, two me could be seen boarding a.
| train at Charleston with small pack
ages under their arms. They went to
Cabin Creek Junction, and, after mar
rowly escaping death at the hands of
| company guards, got their packages
safely aboard the Cabin Creek train.
The silent winds of the night carried.
to to the doors of the miners little
hand-bills calling for monster mass
meeting at Eskdale, to be addressed
by Mother Jones' The impossible had
happened. Mother Jones the terror
of the slave drivers, had scaled the
| impregnable wall of Little Russia. I
The call of Unionism reverberated
throughout the valley. The miners
and their families. men. women and
little children, trooped in a vast army
to heaar the inspiring words of their
old leader. From that hour on the
operators had fight on their hands
and subsequent history has taught
them that is was both losing and a
costly one. From end to end of Cabin
Creek there was complete tie-up OF
all the mines, reaching even to Goa
River in an adjoining county. VIVA,
was transpiring on Paint Greek was
now duplicated on Cabin Creek. Here,
too, came trooping the private army
of hired thugs and gunner. Here
too, were duplicated the brutality ana
lawlessness that was flaming to the
world a Iideous picture of the Goa
barons as the most lawless and an
archial of all criminals.
Now came the strike +breakers, a
molly crew of the off-scourings of the
great cities. The ywere plotted into
the district by the guards, after hav-
ing been virtually kidnapped by the
most shameless lies and representa-
lions of the emissaries of the opera
tors. Many of them had never seen
a coal mine and didn't know a coal
pick from a tooth7pick. Their attempt
to mine coal was ludicrous had it not
been for the tragedy back OF their
Lives. Like the miners, they, too, were
the victims of the Industrial masters
LOT the State.
Failing to brak the ranks and spiri:
of the miners by use of striWe-bredk
ers and armed thugs, the operators
felt that something had to be done,
Finally they hit upon the scheme of
using the state government. Employ
iers are not slow in recognizing the
services of government. What are
governments for those days but TO
fhelp employers wiring wealth from the
workers? That is their history. And
the operators know their business.
went to the state house at Charles
ton and invoked the majestey of ex-
ecutive power. They called for the
militia-kiki kids, and the kids came.
The strike section was flooded with
nmilitiamen, with inflated upstairs,
dangling sabres, at their head.
| From the very beginning of the
Istrike the miners had made all honor
able effort to effect a sttlement. At
first they sproposed board of arbftra-
ton, to be composed two miners and
two representatives of the operators S,
lthey to choose a, fifth man. But from
the very first the operators refused to
even meet the miners. representatives,
Saying that they had absolutely no
thing to arbitrate. Finally, after
Inumberiess efforts to obtain confer,
49,. 4 ~