The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-01-09

tive at each Legislative session and II
ought to; be and, doubtless, Is better
posted than many other newspapers.
sT2 Introduction Of Bill.
The Legislature convened on jan
uary 10, 1915. The chronological
order attending the introduction and
passage Of the bill through the legis-
lature follows: ~
January 13, 1915, Legislature con-
vened. ~.
January 20. 1915, mining bill in
troduced by Steed.
January 23, 1915, reported back
with recommendation that 1t do
pass. III
January rs, 1915, recommended to
committee on motion Of Godfrey. d.
January n. 1915. reported ia
yorably. tt.
February i, 1915, on motion
Gregory--taken up for immediate
consideration-read the first time.
On motion Of McCrum, made spe-
cial order for February 2, 1915.
February 2, 1915, on motion OF
McCrum, made special order for Feb
ruary 8, 1915.
February 3. 1915, read second time
and open for amendments: -Four
proposed by Marshall, two carried
and two lost. One by McCrum, car
ried. Two by Carter, one carried and
one lost. One BY Fox, carried. One
by Miller, carried. One by Keim,
lost Two by Gregory, one carried
and one lost. at i4
February 4, 1915, passed the Sen
ate without q dissenting vote.
February 6, 1915. passed the SEN
Senate that the bill had passed the
House by vote Of seventy-elght ayes
and one nay.
The above record OF the enactment
OF the law shows that the bill was
not introduced until the eighth day
OF the legislative session. Does not
the editor Of the Times, who has
graced each legislative session with
his presence for years agone, AMI
who was gladly given the hospitality
OF our Office and who expressed him
self favorable to the passage OF the
bill. know that the patrons of the i'm
portant bills introduce them on the
first day OF the session and that, as a
rule, all important bills are intro
duced by the end OF the third day?
The chronological record printed
above shows that the motion to re-
commit the bill on January 25, 1919
was made by Senator Godfrey, who
was known to be personally and po-
lltically favorable to Governor Hat
field" 1t was reported back two
days later, or on January ~, and no
further effort was made to advance
the bill until February 1, or five
days later, when it was taken up IN
its regular, order, as the record
shows, and passed the Senate on Feb
ruary 6. without a dissenting vote.
At no stage was any material
change made in the bill. This state
ment is predicated upon the fact that
the Times is of the opinion that the
salaries now paid to the inspection
force are adequate for services
given" The proposed increase In the
salaries Of the inspectors was the only
maximum departure from the ortgl-
nal draft as submitted by the depart
ment of mines and this proposal was
defeated. 1t is q significant fact that
only one amendment was offered
from the Democratic side, the
amendment by Fox, minority leader,
which was carried. Therefore, the
statement Of the Times that 1.-THE con-
sequence of this personal work on
the part of the operators, hundreds OF
whom came to the scene, was that
the bill was referred back to the COM
mittee for its own consideration,
which up.t that time had not been,
even in a cursory fashion, and also
tho consideration OF those most VI
tally interested in It's operation" IS
fallacious and a mere fiction with ut
terly no foundation in fact and the Ell
fort made by the Times to drag the
governor in is equally so. The gov
ernor stated to all parties in interest
that he knew little about the prac-
teal operation of coal mines and that
he was willing for any revision of the
law to be made or amended adopted
which could be agreed upon by the
department of mines and the opera
tors.
Mine Explosions.
The following extract from your
editorial Is most unhappy on your
part: 1.-THE records Of serious acct
dents in West Virginia mines, the
cause Of which the mine inspectors
are presumed to discover and rem
edy, uniailing show that deputy
mine inspector has always just COW
cred the ground and found no dan
gers"
On December 6, 1907, mines Nos.
6 and S Of the Fairmont Coal Com
pany, now the Consolidation Coal
Company, blew up, killing 1858
men any boys. That fall, a
special committee, which had been
raised by tho legislature for the pur-
pose Of investigating mining condt-
lions, visited the Fairmont field.
When the committee reached Fair
mont, Ex-Governor A. B. Fleming, Mr..
Lee Malone, general manager, and
other dignataries Of the Consolida-
tion Coal Company, piloted the COM
mittee in special car to mines Nos.
6 and 8, which were pointed out to
the committee as the pride of the
Consolidation Coal Company and the
model mines OF the state. Neverthe-
less, within few days 3e3 lives were
lost in an explosion in these mines.