The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-09-09
Future Uprisings of Armed
Men to Be Treated as
Instructions.
IN INVESTIGATION ON
Mine Workers Officers
Called Upon to Assist
in This.

CHARLESTON, W. Va, Sept. 3
Vigorous measures are to be taken b,
the state Of West Virginia TO proven
a recurrence OF the past few day!
When armed miners marched acros!
the country threatening to violentl!
invade a neighborlng county. Report
were made to the governors office
that the several thousand miner!
that had assembled on the Logan coul
" line but were induced to disperst
and were brought back to their homes
by special trains had returned to worl
with the exception of but about q
per cent of them and these were un
able TO do so because OF physica
disabilities incurred by the march.
in the meantime measures were Sc
'atoot by the governor to make a dras
tic investigation as to the cause of thu
uprising, and 1t has been determined
ID appoint a commission for this pun
pose which will be done in day OF
Two. Telegrams and telephone inquir
les have been pouring into the COVER
nors office asking the cause OF thu
uprising and late yesterday a state
ment was issued by the governor il
which he said:
@This 1 want to emphasize:
This thing, or anything like it
must not occur again. Extreme
patience was exercised for the rea-
son believed that it was due to
transformation given by few to
the many, but there can be no
excuse for any similar misunder-
standing on the part of anybody
hereafter. Any further march of
armed men across this state bent
upon invading another county and
breathing threats to shoot up peo-
pie will be regarded as an attempt
at revolution, and will be dealt
with on the instant as such. l
want this statement understood
in its fullest sense by the people
Of the state in general and any
other like minded persons in par
ticular, in order that all may know
what to expect in the future
The governor said that the state
had been unfortunately placed in al
nnfayorable light before the country
but ut is the inevitable outcome Of
persistent radical propaganda, Il
which | have frequently referred ii
public addresses during the past few
months and is the logical result o.
newspaper articles and utterances O.
lagitators and political demagogue!
who were diligent in telling the wage
workers that their liberties were beins
assailed whenever measure has ap.
peared in the legislature Designed t
protect human life and 10 preserve
public peace.
aThe sudden uprising of a large
body Of armed men was carefully
planned by some person, or persons
whose identity 1t is the duty of the Of
flcials Of the United Mine Worker.
as well as public officers to establish
Runners went through the Kanawht
coal fields and presidents of severa
local unions summoned special meet
ings telling members the order hat
come from headquarters to arm anC
assemble. know Of some
cases where members inquired who
brought the order, and the local Off
GERS of the miners union replied the!
did not know, and could not produce
any official documents. The wildes
and wierdest stories were circulated
one being that Fred Mooney, distric
secretary OF the United Mine Work.
ers, had been assassinated in Logal
county. all for the purpose of inflam
ing the minds of the men. When
Went among them in the mountain!
Friday night, spoke to them and hat
some of them appeal to me with dis.
tressed countenance to know IS it tru
that they are numbering women ant
babies over in Logan county, l saw
how earnest and sincere were som,
of these men and how grossly de.
ceiyed they were by the promoters o
the plan, and made up my mind
because Of their innocence and misin
formation, that no force should bt
used to stop the invasion II 1t coult
possibly be avoided.
assured She men that night tina
IL they would disband then and &c
home l would investigate the condi,
lions and practices in the Logan Goa
field and that, IL any of them vert
unlawful ] would do my best to SCI
that they were corrected and conf
IDENTIFY believed could secure that re-
suit. 1 left them believing they would
respond to my appal and disband
While the majority at that meeting
did return home part Of them ignored
my proposition and took up their
march. Notwithstanding that those
who continued on the march did no
keep faith with me, l intend to keet
faith wit hthem and will make a thor.
ough investigation Of the condition!
In the Logan field. The coal opera.
tors association over there has wiret
me, also, demanding such investiga
ton.
AT the time was at the meetini
knew that 1t was a carefully organ
ized and deliberately planned move
ment and that those directing 1t wer,
under no misrepresentation | furthe
knew, too, that the officers and citi'
zens OF Logan county were armini
and preparing to resist the invasion
Of those armed men, and that man!
OF them would be marching to certain
death II they persisted in their nm
wise course So i took no chances
J communicated with Secretary O.