The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-25
MAXINE TROUBLE HAS REACHED LIMIT SAYS MCCORMACK Intimidation Continued Yes- terday in Face of Judge
 Sharpes' Injunction BARGES AND BOATS
 TIED UP IN RIVER Big Sugar Refinery Absolutely De- pendent on Maxine Output.
 Acts of Intimidation Are
 Committed

Committed
 f President G. B. Mccormack of the
 Pratt Consolidated Coal company yes
 terday issued a statement explaining in
 detail the situation at the company s
 Maxine mines on the Warrior river,
 where a strike or walkout has occurred.
 MT. Mccormack points out that the
 matter is so serious in the district that
 the output of coal is being seriously cur
 tailed. He details various acts of law
 lessness and intimidation and even states
 that men at the mines were yesterday
 forced to leave their jobs in the face or
 the restraining injunction issued Mon
 day by Judge H. A. Sharpe of the cir
 cult court
 ''The Maxine mines are still idle and
 the sugar refinery with which we are
 under contract is still clamoring TOT
 coal" said Mr. Mccormack. "Towboats and barges are tied up The committee notified our power house engineer that he must join the union or leave, anu fearing violence, he has left. We dns-
 charged Morgan and Tetherow Tor
 threats against other men; and we asked the court for injunction against them and others committing illegal acts which said injunction was granted 'To what extent the present agitation will affect the coal mining industry? My answer is that my best information leads me to believe that less than 20 per cent of the men really desire organization About half of these are good men who believe in organization, the other halI' floaters and agitators, who desire ex- citement and the license usually accom-
 panying strikes and troubles and to com init acts of violence and intimidation.
 ACTS OF INTIMIDATION "Others are forced into the organiza- ton by intimidation and threats against person and property and a show of force Men are travelling through the camps telling the women and children that they must keep the men out ot the mines unless they join the organization. Work is very light all over the district due to this agitation If these agltators are not in the pay of German allies they should be, as they are limiting the production of coal, interfering with the operation of industries and giving aid and comfort to enemies of the United States
 ."ro show you to what extent the agi- tators are endeavoring to interfere with our mining business, I will state that immediately after the organization at Maxine some three weeks ago, Morgan and Tetherow, as president and secre- tary. respectively called in our superin- tendent and demanded that two men who hac been discharged prior to the formation of this organization and dis charged for cause good and sufficient, be returned to their work. The company permitted these two men to return to work in the mines as laborers. About a week later, the drivers in the mines re- fused to give empty cars to any man who did not belong to the union, and on the refusal of the superintendent of the | company to discharge all men who had not affiliated with the organization, the | leaders ordered the mines closed and | the men came out.
 MEN WERE FRIGHTENED
  nication with the company at all; but on the next day, all of the men returned to the work The following day, however, nearly all of the men who had not af- fliated with the organization moved from the camp, and stated that they were so frightened and intimidated that they were afraid to live in the neigh bornood Nsaere were men who had Ia rliz tions and were determined not to again join such organization.
 "A few days afterwards, committee composed of the officers named above and one other, called on the superinten- dent and demanded that he clean up each day all of the coal which had fallen on the tracks from overloaded cars and
 give the miners credit for same This he agreed to do, rather than have trouble over an unimportant matter. The fol- lowing day the committee again waited on him and stated that the miners had decided that they would select the cars l to be picked for slate. He stated to l them that this would be equivalent to | not picking any cars whatever, as the miners would, of course. select only such | cars as were reasonably free from slate. 1 After discussing the matter for some 1 time, the committee stated that they would not call a strike on that point. ! The next day the committee returned and stated that the man who picked the l coal for slate dug down into the side of | the car and found the check number and selected for picking cars belonging to particular miners. The superintendent showed them that this was not physically possible, and they again decided not to | strike for that cause.
 WANTED RULES CHANGED
 "The following day, which was July l 20 after the men had gone in the mines
 and were working the committee came to the superintendent and stated that | they had decided that the dockage rules for slate and dirt should be changed. The superintendent told them that the 1 rules had been in effect for about 10 years without complaint. and were much more liberal than the usual slate rules. l He further stated that the rules were made by the general officers of the company, and that he would have to l communicate with them before consid- ering changing the rules. While he was l telephoning from the office to the gen. eral office in Birmingham, they turned and went out and ordered the men to