The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-01
MUST HAVE BEER
Kansas Miners VIII Strike if
They Do Not Get 1t.
They Also Demand Governor
Reduce High Cost of Living.

Pittsburg, Kan, Aug. IA strike
involving 5000 miners. it is said. is
impending here, according to repre-
sentatives of the Miners union, un-
less favorable arrangements by Gov
ernor Capper are made whereby, in
answer to a demand by the coal York
ers. the executive lends his aid in re-
ducing the high cost of living and
permit the miners to keep beer in
their homes.
A mass meeting of the miners is
scheduled for today at which final
action probably will be decided upon
Just how Governor Capper could
obtain the power either to annul the
Kansas Bone Dry law for the bene-
fit of the Franklin miners or cut down
the high cost of living for the benefit
of the general public is a question the
them
Ten days ago meeting was called
at Franklin and large crowd attend
ed. The bone dry legislation was
attacked by several speakers whose re
marks drew hearty applause. The
crowd ordered a committee on reso-
lutions and instructed the committee
to check the matter up to Governor
Capper in a strong resolution. 1t was
decided to give the governor until
! August 1 to make a satisfactory an
swer. If 1t were not made by that
| time further action then was t. be
| decided upon. So the meeting today
| is to decide what will be done.
Close Mines Today.
| Franklin is camp of the Western
Coal & Mining company. The mines
| of the vicinity are to be closed this
afternoon so the miners can attend
| the meeting. A strike of the Frank
| lin miners and the extension of the
strike to the rest of the southeastern
Kansas district are threatened by the
acid do,
| of the Kansas district Of the United
| Mine Workers of America and the
strong leader of the miners whose
word nearly always is law, is 10 adj
dress the meeting. Howat would not
| say what advice he would give
Austrians, Italians and FrencI, COM
pose most of the population of Frank
lin. They were accustomed to having
| their beer in the old countries and un-
| til the bone dry law went into eff
| feet they had beer in their homes at
Franklin. When the new law was
passed a huge petition was ant to
! Topeka from Franklin protesting
! against the passage of the measure
The lack of good water is urged by
| some miners as reason why beer
should be allowed in their homes In
some of the camps the water fur
nlshed by the coal companies admit
tedly is bad and miners assert they
nave been compelled to drink beer and
|
| Demand Free Beer?
Pittsburg coal men conversanl with
the attitude of the miners insisted the
situation in the district is much more
serious than generally admitted.
| While the spectacle of a mass meeting
| demanding that the governor of the
state revoke state law to allow them
peer is regarded humorously in some
SECTIONS, it is not so regarded here
where the situation is better under
stood. Foreigners who have learned
gradually that it is wrong to sell beer
IN Kansas nave not learned that it is
wrong TO drink it. Adding to the hui
NOR or the story, some reports have
saao the miners demand free beer.
Luktns Looks for Strike,
Kansas City, Mo-. Aug.-1-"Unless
| the1r demands are met, 5000 miners
no doubt will join the strike, already
IN N Iorce at thirty-two mines in the
fittspurg district" said Fred Lukfns
president of the Southwestern Inter,
state Coal Operators association here
Inc bone dry" law and prevailing
| nigh prices for foodstuffs was attrib-
uteo by Luk1ns as the possible cause
Tor the threatened strike
"A new strike threat by the coal
miners of southeastern Kansas was
causing anxiety among wholesale coal
dealers, operators and large consum-
ers mere last night One-third of the
H,AiiS, "a lhC NdHSdS Ilel0S already are
closed as result of the gradually
growing dissatisfa elton among the
miners The new labor move bids fair
to tie up the rest of the supply
In the Cherokee and Crawford coun-
ty fields mines of the Hamilton, Els
worth and McMann interests were
| closed a few weeks ago. In the Usage
fields fourteen mines are not working
Mr.. Howat called those men out be-
cause one miner was alleged to have
been Disseminated against, according
to Mr.. Lukins