The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-04-10
The Guard System.

The Guard System.
Serial Section 1877 OF 1906 Code.
reads; "A sheriff may with the con.
sent OF the county court appoint any
person his deputy. Such consent
snail. In every case. be entered of
record. Every deputy so appointed
snail take the same oath his principal
Is required TO take. and may. during
MS continuance In Office. discharge or
perform many OF the Official duties OF
MS principal and when in the acts
or the circuit court. the public inter
ests require IT. a sheriff may, with the
consent OF the said circuit court. an
point any person his deputy"
Under this law has grown I'D the
so-called Guard System" Of which the
West Virginia Mine Investigation
Commission. presided over by Bishop
]. Donahue. of Wheeling, says:
we find that the system employed
In vicious. strife prompting and un.
name. likes to be guarded by others
armed with black jacks. revolvers
and winchesters whilst he Is endeav.
oring 10 earn his daily bread II is
repugnant TO the spirit OF the labor
ing man and. We believe. to the opin-
ION or the American people"
Inc platforms Of the dominant
parties of 1912 declared in favor OF
me abolition OF the guard system.
maintaining, THAT corporations have
10 right TO import into any locality
ana employ class OF reckless. law
less and irresponsible men and arm
them with wtnchesters for the purpose
or intlmidatlng people with whom they
come IN contact and condemninE the
action or some OF the courts i'm the
lnulscriminate appointment OF such
men 10 the office of deputy sheriff and
LOT granting 10 them pistol licenses
ana declaring that hold-up. seizure
and search without process of law
should constitute a felony and thai
persons. firms and corporations en-
pioying such guards should be held a.
sponsible in damages to any person
sunering at their hands either in nor
son, property or right"
There are two classes of mine
guards. First Deputy Sherins. and
second gunner.
The hrst type of mine guard is
found in big coal predicting counties
Ike kanawha and Fayette. where the
onlce OF sheriff is usually filed bv a
man selected by the coal corporations
me coal company select from their
employees the man or men that they
WISH 10 employ in the capacity ~
mine guards and they then have such
einpio, go sworn in a. deputy sheri1
! The result Is that while clothed with
as much power "a the sheriff OF the
county. ne exercises that power pri.
vately ~ the behest OF the coal com.
I pany 10y which he is employed.
u has been hard for the Sniner IN
/ cope WIFI this kind Of a mine guard
because. however vicious and uuprin.
cipled. he is clothed with pc<e power
all over the county
u" second class Of guards is com.
posed Of runmen pure and simple
Manyoi thom do not have "A license IN
carry revolver. some Of them do.
! non" 81 them. of course. have power
10 max" arrests on or of the com.
pauy's property " they have y license
10 carry gun % will usually be fouu5
10 have been granted by the circuit
lud-" ~ some district controlled n,
Oh" coal corporations ono circuit
judS" BOO Southern West virginia ha4
Granted ae many ~ five hundred pistol
license
N"f an OF OBJ. euarl4 arc outlaw.
huf DO takes d'spcrat. man To- n,t
. thie Kind of t position IN times OF
strife. "nd u" u'. abiding. peace Iot.
ing 'iuz'u could ind hiruS,.f at ,a.,
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