Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-12-04
840FF|CERS OF
 MINERS TO FACE
 SERIOUS CHARGE
It Is Alleged Leaders Have Con- spired to Keep Strike in
 Force.

Indianapolis, Ind, Dec. 3.-The United States government today again invoked the powers of the fed eral court in an effort to end the strike of 100000 bituminous coal min- CTS of the country.
 Information charging criminal contempt of court was filed in the United States district court here against 84 international and district officers of the United Mine Workers of America, named in the court in- junction issued immediately after the strike was called, and requiring their appearance to answer the charges, were issued late today. It is alleged that all of the officers have conspired to keep the strike in force and thus have violated the terms of the injunction.
 Acting President John L. Lewis, Treasurer William Green, Percy let low, statistician, and Ellis Searles, editor of the. Mine Workers Journal the only officials of the organization in Indianapolis, were notified of the action and agreed to report to court tomorrow to furnish bond, fixed at $10,00O by Federal Judge A. B. An derson. Other officials in the juris- diction of the federal court will be served as soon as possible, govern ment officials stated and all vii be required to appear at 10 o'clock next Tuesday morning for hearing.
 Dan w. Simms, of Lafayette, h. diana, special United States attorney i'm charge of enforcement of the in junction stated today that the pro- ceedings against the miners repre- sentatives will be pushed, and that removal proceedings to obtain the appearance in court here of officers who reside outside of Indiana will be instituted at once.
 MT. Simms announced that pro- ceedings against officers of two local unions at Clinton, Ind, also would be instituted soon, charging them speci- fically with violations of the iniunc tion by payment of strike benefits to miners. Local No. 2O11 officials, he declared, had paid benefits by check, attempting to "camouflage" the real nature of the action by stating that they were for over-payment of dues. Local number 39, he said, drew one check for $500 and distributed cur rency among it's members.
 In connection with the issuance of strike benefits, MT. Simms said that the injunction extends to any per- son, whether or not a miner, who in any way encourages the strike, and said that banks which honored checks drawn against a strike benefit fund were liable to prosecution.
 MT. Simms stated that the cita. tlons against the men named today were only start in the prosecutions against alleged violators of the in- Junction, and that the action might be expected soon.
 "1t is the governments purpose MT. Simms said, ''to continue prosecu. tion as fast as evidence can be ore. pared and filed with the court against all officers of every local who are conspiring by concerted effort to keer the strike in force. Refusal to return to work, if miner knows of the in Junction and the subsequent order o1 the union officials resembling the strike order, constitutes violation ot the injunction, and the government will proceed on this theory, regardles $ of whether officers are guilty o1 some specific act of encouragement o1 the strike.