The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-11-10
IN
ATTACK upon
THE INJUNCTION
PLEDGES SUPPORT TO
' CAUSE OF THE MINERS
Asserted the Government Has
Misappied the Lever .
Control Act

WASHINGTON. Nov. S.-HoldtnG
that the action OF the government IN
Injunction proceedings against striking
bituminous coal miners to be so auto-
cratic as to stagger the human nina
the executive council Of the American
Federation Of Labor declared tonignt IN
n statement issued after a four hour
meeting that the miners valkout waa.,
Justified promised for the strike the.
entire support Of organized labor and
asked aid and endorsement for 1t from
the general public"
The Lever act, under which the gox7
ernment acted in the court proceedfnGns :
never was enacted to apply to WorkefsS
the council asserted, and Its use aSainstI
,he miners was classed as IAN injustice
not only to workers but. TO all liberty
loving Americans - :.
The action was taken without the pre-.
cipitation Of William Green./ general
secretary of the mine workers. who te
a member. but All the remaining prin-
cipal officers Of the American Fedef- :
alton Of Labor were present. ~
Carefully Revised.
The council began it's session et
o'clock after its members had poeA
hastily summoned together. ana the
statement which formulated It's action
was carefully revised and rewritten oy
Samuel Gompers. and Frank
president and secretary. respecpves 4,
the federation. - ~
cd at length the history ~ the neeoti1;
ations which led up TO aid precipitatooS
the coal strike. dcclarir almost In tAeS
tirst sentence that thsl officers Of th6t
United Mine WorkcrH did everything In
their power to avcEt this great induss
trial struggle. It/feserved its bitterests
words for later. comment on svvsfn.
mental action.
There were 2.200 delegates represent:
ing 500, 90 miners. seated In the cons.
vcntion which called the strike, the
staten ant said. after briefly sketching
complaints Of working conditions in the
industry, which Il is asserted the
miners seek to remedy by striking. The
instructions Of the convention were
,Iken through the usual committees in-~
% conference with the operators and
then, the statement puts it. "our gov.
ernment interjected itself and applied
for IN injunction ~
by all the facts in the ease. thA
miners strike Is justified" II concluded.
1--WE indorse 1t, We are convinced OF the
Justice Of the miners cause. We pledge
TO the miners the full support OF the>
American Federation OF Labor. ana Ap:
neal to the workers and citizenships Of
our country to give like endorsement
and aid to the men engaged in this mo-
mentous struggle"
The Settlement.
The statement Of the executive coun'
Gil. which members refused to inter.
prct or discuss in any manner ans
which Is addressed to ''our fellow clti.
zens and to our fellow workers" foi.
lows:
THE executive council Is Of the optn-
ion that the officers OF the United Mine
Workers Of America did everything In
their power to avert this great indus-
trial controversy. OF all the great In
dustries in our country. there is mons
SO dangerous to human life - the coal
industry" .
There is no other class OF employ :
ment where each individual worker u
so isolated and in whose districts there
lContfnuAA On I1EO 30V0l