The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-10
Injunction Issued by Court
Is Invasion of Personal
Rights, Declares Committee
CONTINUED from Page One,

sented in other localities. Their iso-
lation prevents this.
The United Mine Workers, in their
convention, held during the month of
September in the city of Cleveland,
adopted positive declaration demand
ing improved conditions of employment
for the miners. They further instruct
ed the officers to proceed to obtain py
negotiations with the operators, the
working conditions that the convention
unanimously adopted.
There were almost 1900 delegates
seated in the convention, representing
100000 organized miners. They further
positively and explicitly instructed
their officers that unless an agreement
was reached on or before the first day
of November, 1919, that the resolution
of the convention calling for a strike
on November 1, 1919, should be COM
municated to the membership. There
was no alternative except for the Off
GERS who are elected by the member
ship, to carry out the direEt instruc
lions of the membership or resign
from their positions as officers, In
which event chaos and confusion would
result
ACTED UNDER INSTRUCTIONS
The officers of the mine workers, with
their scale committee. entered into con-
ferences and discussions with the opera
tors in the city OF Buffalo. They stated at
the conference that they had full power to
negotiate an agreement; in other words
that they had the power to give and take
IN the conference. The employers refused
to make any offer whatever. Later on
the miners answered the call of the Secre-
tary of Labor and further underworld TO
reach an agreement, but failed. The off
i - ort-xr mt q
structions of their membership and COM
municated the results of the failure of
and by order of the conven-
ton the strike automatically took effect
l, 1919.
The machinery which has existed for
years and which has been successful in
about agreements between the
miners and the operators, still exists, and
they as representatives of the miners
were and are ready and willing to enter
into negotiations without reservation to
reach an agreement.
At this time, our government interjected
itself and applied for an Injunction.
A temporary restraining order was
granted by federal judge which re-
strains the officials of the miners from in
any way advising their membership on
the situation, or contributing any or the
moneys of the mine workers to the as
sistance of the men on strike, also re-
straining them from discussing, writing
or entering into any kind of conversa-
ton with their membership on the strike
situation
ORDERED STRIKE RECALL
The government then proceeded to
further invade the rights of the miners.
not only by restraining the miners, their
officers and members from furthering the
for which the men commended,
but went to further lengths of demand
ing from the court an order commanding
the officers of the miners union to re-
call and withdraw the strike notification.
and the court complpacently complied and
issued the order.
Never in the history of our country has
any such mandatory order been obtained
or even applied for by the government or
by any person, company or corporation.
Both the restraining order and the in
junction, in so far as it's prohibitory fea-
lures are concerned. are predicated upon
the Lever act. law enacted by Con-
gress for the purpose of preventing specu-
lation and profiteering of the food and
fuel supplies of the country. There never
was in the minds of the Congress in en-
acting that law or in the mind of the
President when he signed it, that the
Lever act would be applied to workers in
cases of strikes or lockouts. The food
MT. hoover, speciIlcduy SO
stated. Members of the committee hav-
ing the bill in charge have in writing de-
clared that it was not in the minds of
the committee, and the then Attorney
General, Mr.. Gregory, gave assurance
that the government would not apply that
law to the workers effort to obtain inn
proved working conditions. Every assur-
ance from the highest authority of our
government was given that the law would
uot be so applied.