The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-08-20
KENNAMER CLAIMS STRIKE HAS SIMPLY BEEN DELAYED HERE Union President Thinks Sit- uation Is Frightening Up from Miners Viewpoint MANY MINERS HAVE
 TAKEN TOOLS AWAY Says Production Will Be Light Because No Shooting of
 Coal Was Done
 Saturday

"The strike has not been calleu o4l by the United Mine Workers of Amer ica. district 20," said J. R. Kenna- mer, president. last night.
 Tt has just been postponed for the present It remains to be seen whether it will be called off or not, depend- ing largely upon the outcome of our conferences with Secretary of Labor Wilson, which will be held in this city Thursday.
 Things are brightening up consid- erably for us, we think, regardless of the fact that the operators seem to kaye assumed an attitude or standing pat in the beginning from which they refuse to budge That is their busi- ness. We have not paid any attention to the voluminous sayings which they have given the public through the pub lie press, for in the first place we have rot had the funds to answer this paid advertising, and we have not had the nerve to ask the papers to handle our answers free.
 "On second thought, while We were considering the means to combat this effort to create sentiment in their fa- vor we were daily forced to see that it was doing our cause more good than harm. In fact, my information and opinion Is to the effect that the more the operators have said the more they have harmed themselves"
 REG ARDING LEGALITY
 The point has been raised by the operators that the strike was called illegally, due to the fact that no ref erendum was held among the men as to whether they wanted to strike or not. MT. Kennamer when asked about this said:
 "The strike order was in due form, according to the bylaws and constitu- ton of the United Mine Workers of America. The locals, s6 in number, were represented by delegates, in .structed to represent and act for those locals, representing every member. They were elected and sent here by the locals to the convention. The ac- tion of the convention was legal and binding and no union miner doubts that for moment Ask any of them and see what they think about it.
 "There is nothing to that. We have the backing of the national organiza- tion to the letter, too, you may state"
 MT. Kennamer states that William R. Fairley is in no way connected with the United Mine Workers of America, as some seem to think, he having sev- cred his official relations with the or ganization when he accepted the po- sition of official investigator for the government and his report will be on conditions seen as a man with exper fence among miners and operators and not as a partisan mine workers. as some have intimated."
 REMOVAL OF TOOLS
 The fact that many of the men moved their tools from the mines in which they were employed Saturday before they received the order to post pone the strike has created a rather peculiar state of affairs, as many state that in so doing they have lost their positions and that they are in the at- titude of having automatically fired themselves The union officials state that they were acting under the pre- yious order, which up to the time they moved their tools had not been re- scinded Now it remains to be seen just what action will be taken by the operators along this line. Officials at headquarters hope that the men will be allowed to go back to work Mon- day morning. thereby eliminating an added obstacle.
 "The progress of coal digging has been retarded several days" says MT Kennamer "by the fact that all miners expecting to strike on Saturday cleaned up their places and there was no loose coal left in the rooms. They ex pected to strike and there was no shooting done that would loosen up coal that could not be removed by Saturday afternoon. This will mean that coal production for the next two or three days will fall off consider ably, awaiting the shooting prior to bringing 1t out of the mines"
 It is understood at district head quarters yesterday from men from all over the district who were pouring into headquarters to talk over the sit- uation that the operators in most places posted along with the telegram sent from President Kennamer's office in Birmingham, holding the strike in abeyance, the notice of the operators, stating that they would never recog- nize the unions and that there would be no conference between operators and union officials anywhere or at any time, or to be exact, the same statement issued by James L. David son, secretary of the Alabama Coal Operators association.