The Washington times., 1913-05-14
WOMEN M|SUSED,
j MINERS COMPLAIN
West Virginia MiIitiaman
Sends Letter Which Tells
of Atrocities.
CONTINUED from FIRST Page )

= - 81 (C0ntinued lrOn r.fst fuBe-B
owners forced employees 10 deal with
company stores, and refused permission
to certain miners to go TO the United
6.ates postoffice for mail matter.
armed mine guards. they say, have
used violence In their efforts to main-
tain a system. VIII oh, the Huntington
men claimed. amounts 20 virtual slavery
Of men and women.
1T ie an attempt to crush orsan-
ICED labor" said Swan. The mine
owners know that II the miners ana
machinists' unions ever enter the coal
fields permanently they will be forced
TO provide better working and living
conditions. and pay higher saisries Than
they are no wdoing. They know that
they viii be forced to let the indepen-
dent stores come into compete with the
company stores.
They are fgtting tooth and nail
against organized labor, and are us
complish their purpose"
Both Swami and Wright declared
this afternoon that they stand ready
to testify at any public investigation
as to the pecnage charges; and to
as they repeated II this afternoon to
The Times, fs absolutely correct.
Senate Hears Petitions.
Senator Kern laid before the Senate
this afternoon a long list Of petitions
- memorials asking for an investi-
0ltion of the conditions in West vir-
Ginia.
. Among these were petitions from the
Pennsylvania Federation Of Labor, the
International board Of the United Mine
Workers, citisens of Huntington. . large
number Of labor organizations In West
Virginia, and out of II and citizens Of
vari0us parts Of West Virginia
Senator Kern read into the, record
part OF q petition signed by three men
who. under the reign Of military rule in
They. are c. H. Boswell. ]. w. Brown.
an1 e F. Clark. They declare in their
pettti0h that they are the victims Of an
unlawful military despofisyn, that they
have been convicted Illegally by drum
had court-martial. and that they have
been threwn into jail and held without
Ihey declare the investigation pro-
peoed by Senator Kern is the only ray
q hops left the citizenship Of West Vir-
diauRce TO civilization.
Fhe senafe is having q hard time.
trying to prevent the passage OF the
Kern resolution said Congressman
nal statement on the case today. Some
of the Senators who dance when the
special interests pull the strings are
giving 4 surprising exhibition OF. polii-
cnl agility in their opposition 20 it
Senator GoH OF west Virginia taken
from the Federal bench by. Republi-
onn Legislature to sit in. the Senate, has
delivered speech upon 1t. every word
of which h legal quibble.
1t was just the sort of speech and
The sort OF legal logic that 10 creating
amoaG the people mighty wrath
aGntnst courts and lawyers
sFor years. tales OF horrors have
dSifted out of the West Virginia coal
Ael6s-stories Of peonage, of OUTRAGED
vomen. OF murdered men, terrorism.
ouppreegi0n OF news and free speech,
and . population held In bondage by
tie coal haronx. West Virginia coal
mfaing wages are less than In any other
Eastern mining district.
Il hope the new Senate is responsive
enough to public opinion to vote for
this reeeiution, and let the light in on
Wet Virginia"