The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-06-11
Charged With Violating
Antitrust Law.
ARE ACCUSED OF CONSPlRING
With Coal Operators In a
Raise Ct Wages TO Kill
Competition.
"IT'S RIDICULOUS" SAYS PERRY

+CnarleStOn, w. va, June T.
President John p. White and eigh-
teen other officials of the United
Mine Workers of America were in
dicted in the Federal Court here to-
day on charge of violating the
Sherman Antitrust Law.
1t Is alleged the defendants con-
spired with the coal operators of
Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indi-
ana and Illinois to raise wages in
the West Virginia coal field so as
to prevent it's competition with the
other four States IN / ire Western
market.
Those named in the Indictment
are:
John p. White. president; Frank
]. Hayes, vice president; Thomas
Haggerty, Joseph Massey, James
Cantrell, Charles Hatley, Marco Ro-
man. George II. Edmonds and Ben
jamin F. Morris, organizers of the
United Mines Workers of America;
Thomas Cairns. president; Clarence
c. Griffith, vice president; James NJ.
Crago. secretary of District No. II.
United Mine Workers of America:
and Jas. Diana, John Nutter, Rome
Mitchell. w. S. Reece. F. ID. STAN
ley, L. S. Cantley and A. ID. Laven-
der, subordinate officers of District
No. II.
The indictments charged that
the nineteen men, affiliated with
the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea, did in Kanawha county, West
Virginia, and within The jurisdic-
ton of the Federal District Court.
engage in a combination and con-
spiracy in restraint of trade and
commerce in the several States. The
offense is said to have started Sep
TENDER L, 1912, and continued
since.
1t is charged that the indicted
men have been agents and members
of ian unincorporated voluntary or
ganizatiorr of individuals as labor
union known as the United Mine
Workers of America. having many
thousands of members who unlaw-
fully combined and conspired to-
gether with the object and intent
OF unionizing and making members
of said organization the laborers
employed in and around the coal
mines of the State of West Virginia
in order that and with the intent
that said organization by regulat-
ing the wage TO be paid to said la
borers for their work could and
would fix and control the price at
which the coal mined in the State
of West Virginia could compete
with coal mined in the Western
part of Pennsylvania and in the
States of Ohio. Indiana and ILL.,
nois in the markets of the States
of the United States outside of West
Virginia"
Stoutly Denies Conspiracy.
Indianapolis, Ind, July s7.-''It
is ridiculous
Thus Edwin Perry, secretary and
treasurer of the United Mine Work.
ers of America. tonight expressed
himself when informed of the in
dictments returned against the
mine workers officials in Charles
ton, w. Va.
1--WE have never eonspired in any
way against the West Virginia OPP
orators and have only tried to see
that the miners there received fair
for their work. In
the matter of wages we always we're
willing to leave 1t TO disinterested
parties and We're ready to take a
reduction In the scale If facts war
ranted The West Virginia opera
tors always have fought our at
tempts to unionize the miners and
We felt that under those conditions
ii was impossible for the men to re-
pafva fuQf NvaOac -