Albuquerque morning journal., 1913-06-12
Members Of Commission Which
Had Charge of Coal Miners
Strike in West Virginia
Testify at Inquiry,
BELIEVED CONSTITUTION
OF STATE SUSPENDED
Those Tried and Convicted of
0utrages in Trouble Zone
Sentenced Without Regard
to Statute Limitations,

ihf hoNftifN JOURNAL hftNifA AtNtAA Wtfttf
Charleston. w Va. June IL War
time in the coal strike regions of Wcs,
Virginia was described before the
senate inrestisaune committee to-
day
Two members of the military conn
mission which at three times has as-
sumed absolute control over 100
square miles of West virginia terri.
tory. testified. They were Captain
Charles u Morgan. lawyer and Major
James / Pratt, who was president of
the second military court which took
charge of the strike district Both
told the committee that their proceed
ings were conducted without regard
for the civil laws of the state that
they arrested arragned. tried ana
convicted offenders In the strike zone
without recourse 90 process of tho civil
courts and imposed sentences with.
ont regard To the Limitations imposed
by The statutes of West virginia
1--WE considered the entire strike
district was in q state of actual war.
fare said Captain Morgan. and We
acted according to the procedure Of
the United States army n time Of
war
"uut the constitution of the state
provides intcriectcd Attorney Mo-
nett. for the miners that the mill
tary shall be- subordinate to the civil
power and no citizen unless engaged
I'm the military service Of the state,
shall be- tried or punished By any
military court for any offcnse that is
cognizablc by the civl courts Of the
state
"Alv understanding was replied
Captain Morgan. that during this
state of insurrcction which prevailed
the constitution of the state Of West
virginia had been suspended by the
acts Of these men who were BURNING
( killing ana destroying property
"You believed the constitution had
been suspcndod2' demanded Senator
| Rorah
"Yes. SIR replied the military Of
ncer. that Is. we believed these mon
had suspended the constitution 9nd
that in order to perpetuatc the state
of West Virginia and to restore the
constitution we were justified in uslns
extreme measures.
Captain Morgan declared that the
military commission believed that ilH
authority was unlimited under The
general order issued by Governor
Glasscock.
A dozen pictures of men, clad III
prison clothing. ana with heads shaV-
cd were identified by Major Pratt as
men who had been sentenced bs the
military commission and sent to lall'
one was given a sentence Of seven
and .one-half years for perjury sever
al others were given three, four ane
1--WE wear terms for interfering win
Officers"
A miner named Van Goldsboroush
testified today that mime gthfds re-
fused to allow him to enter the com
pnny's store at Ronda, where tle
postofficc was located, when he hled
ia Get his mail He said II was three
months before he could get his mail
Are you an American citizen
asked senator MARITIME
Yes
And you coulo not h'' s'"' '''''''
mo. ,at.r
That's an, eNp'outu Wv ~.
Whether this man eNpecl'u = '0'
letter or cheek ooesn ''''''
damned bit Of difference
The big crowd in the committee
room lV"',u ',u.,on a., 4,onlove Of
Elmer i'ul,paus"' ,, -" aettinrttns. "t,'y
the SoolAnS' '''p'' "a ~ nat,es
ton, said thai supserloeiS - ~ Pspti
IN the strike uistilel" ',',..,g
send thelr PaP'rs :" p'", rn,aa irter-
because the mal'S "''' '''''H W
fered WIN NIX u.a,r Daes