The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-20
mining STRIKES
Will BE PR0BED
Kern Resolution to Investigate
West Virginia Conditions
viii Pass.
COMMITTEE TO ACT
Lively Debate Held in Senate, Marine
and Hughes Speaking for
Paterson.

The Senate will conduct an investiga-
ton into the Paint Creek and Cabin
Greek coal-mining strikes. The investi-
subcommittee of three Senators. men,
bers of the Committee on Education and
Labor Senator Borah will be the Repub-
lican member. and il is believed that the
Claude Swanson of Virginia and Senator
J. X. Shields of Tennessee, Democrats.
All are lawyers. Senator Shields was
former Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of Tennessee. Senator Swanson
will probably be chairman of the sub
committee
The Senate did not pass the Kern reso-
luton yesterday, directing the investiga-
ton, but referred it to the Senate Com
mittee on Education and Labor, from
which it will be reported back before
the end of the week. under an agreement
that it will be taken up and passed in
the Senate without delay.
Senator Hoke Smith, chairman of the
Committee on Education and Labor, said
later that he would call his committee
together either today or tomorrow and
take prompt action.
In the course of the debate yester-
day, Senator Con of West Virginia
called attention to the strike situation
at Paterson, n. j., and TO the street car
strike at Cincinnati. He declared that
IL the Governor of Ohio and the Gov.
ernor of New Jersey had done their
duty as the Governor of West Virginia
did. by calling on the military arm of
the State, IL necessary, the strikes
would have been promptly settled. The
Senator from West Virginia was COM
pairing the situation in his own State
with that which exists in Paterson,
when Senator MARITIME OF New Jersey
sprang to his feet and challenged the
accuracy of the parallel.
We have not declared martial law
in Paterson" shouted MIR. MARITIME.
Paterson would be more fortunate
if you did nave martial law" retorted
Senator Con.
Senator Hughes of New Jersey
listened for some time to Senator
COTS references to the situation in
Paterson. and finally came to the de-
Tense of his home city. He declared
that Paterson had been given a hard
name in many parts of the country,
and that it did not deserve 1t.
Paterson Is Defended.
There are $4,000 people out of en-
ployment walking the streets of Pat
erson," said the Senator. who quit
work because the conditions under
which they worked were intolersble.
There has been no loss of life in Pat
erson on account of the strike. There
has been only one murder, and no one
who knows the conditions attributes
the responsibility for the loss of that
life to the /. W. W. or to any OF the
men who are managing the strike
Senator Kern interrupted the speech of
the Senator from West Virginia at one
point to correct some statements, and
said, among other things, that Governor
Hatfield had put the civil law under
the feet of the military"
That is the usual glittering array Of
rhetorical generalities," declared Senator
Golf.
Later the Senator returned to the New
Jersey situation and Senator MARITIME
attempted to interrupt him.
You have not secured permission from
the chair 70 interrupt me- shouted the
Senator from West Virginia. Address
the chair"
Later Senator MARITIME got his oppor-
tunity and he roared at the Senator from
West Virginia:
..If YOU were only contiguous to New
Jersey, l would ask that your State be
annexed to our State; then you would
know the beauties of government
where martial law Is unknown and
where the constitutional guarantees Of
civil liberty are protected by the civil
authority
Concluding Senator Goff made an i'm
.passioned appeal to the Senate not to
interfere with the situation in West Vir-
ginia. He referred to Mother Jones
as being the grandmother Of all the
forces working to incite riot in West
Virginia" II say it because II is
fact" said Senator Goff, casting his
eyes up into the galleries of the Senate.
II say it even IL she be in the galleries
now looking down on this scene. ] care
not how old she be, how white haired