The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-11-03
MINERS ARE QUIET
IN WEST VIRGINIA


| 5000 Kanawha and Coal River miners
| to gather at Marmet
A third OF them carried rifles. They
marched thirty miles up creek beds and
over ridges with the avowed intention
| or invading Logan county, protecting
the Logan county miners from the sup
posed atrocity and bringing the guilty to
| justice.
Half OF the mob, camped at Danville
on the night OF September Z, the others
assembling at Clothier. Here was civil,
| mountaineering war with a vengeance.
| Governor Cornwall sent word to the
marchers that II they passed Danville
United States troops would stop them.
He addressed the miners at 10 o'clock
at night from his automobile, under
| full moon reflected by hundreds of rifle
barrels. Frank Keeney. district presi-
| dent of the Miners Federation, who has
a tremendous hold on the men, Joined
his voice with that of the Governor. A
full investigation was promised on the
spot. the temper of the crowd changed,
and the next day the miners were car
ried back to their own towns on special
trains decorated with American flags.
| Troops to Halt Trouble.
| 1t is to be noted that the disposition
of the 500 troops under Col w. r. Har-
| rell which arrived in Charleston on
Friday, is such as to guard against an
| other possible invasion of the nom
unionized field by union men. About
375 men of the first Division are quar-
tered at the State Armory in Charleston,
the capital, which. in a military way,
Is strategic point in relation to the
Southern and Southwestern mine dis
| tricts. Among these is a machine gun
detachment
Another group is at Beckley, in the
New River field, 80 miles southeast of
| charleston, and third at Clothier, 81
miles south of Charleston, in tie Kama
VIVA region. The natural route from the
unionized fields to the Guyan field In
Logan County passes through Clothier,
over a range of stable mountains
known to the natives as hills. The only
way to reach the Guyan field by rail-
road is by branch OF the Chesapeake
and Ohio from Huntington, a line now
thunderous with the passage of loaded
coal cars and with empties hurrying to
the mines.A
| William H. Cunningham, part owner
| OF several mines, is secretary of the
West Virginia Coal Association, in
whose membership are virtually all
the West Virginia operators. regardless
|
| union or open shop. Its headquarters
| are in Huntington. He figures the
States soft coal production, up to the
| time of the strike. at about 10000 900
tons year. With western Pennsyl-
| vania this State furnishes two-thirds
of all the country's bituminous coal
Mr.. Cunningham says his reports
show virtually no falling off in the
production of union mines on Satur-
TlaNv Al.,N
was open on Saturday will continue to
produce its full amount and may be
| more, for the Railroad Administration
| naturally is supplying cars to the nom
union mines In greater numbers than
| formerly.
The wages of West Virginia miners
range. according to Mr.. Cunningham
from $3.50 to $500 month.
| The eight hour day prevails uniformly
| and the miners. whether union or not
| do not want shorter day. he insists
AS he pictures the coal strike a great
| majority of the union men are unwill-
| ing participants. He could not give to-
day an estimate OF how much coal each
man actually produces and how long
he actually works. with the relation of
| wages and hours to production. but said
he would have report on this phase
tomorrow and that any responsible
person could examine mine pay rolls
| If he cared to do so.
No Strike Breakers Hired.
The operators will not attempt to
| import strike breakers. Mr.. Cunningham
said. They profess belief that the spirit
OF most of the workers is not in the
strike. that they will gradually return
! TO work and that the tie up, so far as
| West Virginia is concerned, will not be
| prolonged. The intention of the opera
| tors seems to be analogous to that
announced by the Carnegie Steel Com
pany at the start of the steel strike
| which was to open the works as soon
| as the proportion Of men desiring to
return to work would make operation
profitable.
Neither operators nor miners OF West
Virginia" Mr.. Cunningham said. had
any voice in the closing Of the union
mines. 1t was all done by the officers
tof the union in Indianapolis In some
cases the strike call did not reach the
mines until Saturday. when the strike
was to start All the mines that were
forced to close had contracts with the
Government. contracts by which the op-
| orators and the miners were bound
! Jointly to continue the production of coal,
in some cases until the ratification of
the peace treaty and in others for a
| longer time. am Trying TO take rea-
sonable view; I realize that In some
places work conditions could be inn
proved. But a strike was not necessary
to improve them. 1 can't help feeling
that this is not a strike but a revolu-
ton. 1t cannot succeed. for a large pro-
portion of the miners are good American
| citizens"
West Virginia coal is of such quality
and the output, even under present con-
| i1 On 10 hot fHa tla
navy and a good part of the coastwise