The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-09-01
MACHINE GUN IS
PLACED At Mine
CENTRAL COAL AND IRON COM
PANY FORTIFIEs ITS PROP
ERTY AT CENTRAL CITY.
ORGANIZATION IS SPLIT
Former Union Officials Now Organ
ling The Southern Association
Of Miners.

Greenville, KY, Aug. 2S.-An
Icute phase of the controversy be-
tween the mine operators and mine
workers was precipitated Monady
when IL was learned that the Central
Coal and Iron company. of Central
City, had fortified its property with
4 machine gun.
Just recently The miners of the
district had agreed to accept the old
scale for labor with the exception OF
two or three questions relating to
the working conditions which had
teen agreed to be left to arbitration
by committees representing the OPP
orators and United Mine Workers of
America.
II is said that the Central CITY
('cal and Iron company. of Central
City. was one % tho firsDin District
2S. to accept ;be old scale without
conditions. Thu company's mine
continued TO run after all the others
mad been closed by reason OF the
miners walking out. About four
weeks ago the tiprle OF the company
was burned. :. c. Gish, vice presi-
dent OF the Central Coal and Iron
company, stated at the time that he
would decline to rebuild unless the
miners would agree to accept a ten
per cent straight reduction in wa
ges.
New Proposition.
meeting of the miners of the
Central City local was called and the
proposition put up to them. ma
jority of those present and voting
voted TO accept the coal company's
. proposition and agreed to the dis
count. The vote at the meeting is
said to have stood twenty-nine vot-
ing in favor of the proposition and
twenty-one voting against It, Upon
the result of the vote being known
the work of rebuilding the tipple
was begun. Another meeting was
held and the union miners by vote
of 72 to 29 turned down the propo-
sition.
After work on the company's tip
pie was begun, In view OF the later
agreement by some of the miners to
accept ten per cent straight reduc-
ton, union officials say that they dis
couraged the men in every way pos
,sible from working for the company.
AS result. they say. out of ESQ
men usually employed by the COM
pany only between fifty and sixty re-
turned to work.
Machine Gun Mounted.
Monday afternoon employees of the
coal company were seen engaged in
placing in position between the en-
trance of the mine shaft and the
Illinois Central railroad a machine
gun of the Colts Gatlin gun type, As
caliber. The gun was placed on
a heap of Stag and a fertilization
rampant consisting of twelve-inch
posts built around it. The area en-
closed occupies a space of approxi-
mately ten square feet.
The officials of the miners organi-
cation have expressed themselves as
doubtful as to the final outcome OF
the action of the company in placing
a rapid fire machine gun in a peace
full community. Especially is this
calculated to cause trouble, they
say, as there has been no threats
against property or life on the parts
OF the miners.
Mr. Gish, offthe company, said
that he was under no apprehension
of trouble from The miners. His pur-
pose, he said, in placing the gun ON
the premises and in its present po-
sition was solely for the protection
of his property. II was stated Mon
day that the company had second
gun OF a similar type in reserve.
To Form New Union.
A meeting was called for Monday
night at Central City by c. w.
Wells, mayor of the city; ]. w.
Wright, former state senator, and
w. Il. Hicks, former secretary and
treasurer of the United Mine Work
ers of America, OF District 23 for
the purpose of organizing an entirely
new miners organization. The new
.l,.....,szatfon will he called the