The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1919-12-04
LEWIS, SIX
1880 r-. .se t-
OFFICERS,
SURRENDER
Mine Workers Appear to An.
swer Charges of Criminal
Contempt-More Coal is
Allotted to Western States
81 Men ARE CITED
(By Associated PresS)


INDIANAPOLIS. Dec. 4. Headed
by Acting President John L. Lewis.
6 general and district officials Of the
United Mine Workers of America ap
peared at the federal building shortly
before noon today and surrendered to
United States Marshal Mark Storen.
who held capiases for their arrest on
Information filed yesterday charging
"a officers Of the organization with
contempt Of court.
Besides Acting President Lewis
those to appear are William Green,
secretary.treasurer Of the Interna
tional organizations; Ellis Searlea
editor OF the Mine Workers Journal
the Official publication of the union:
Percy Tetlow. statistiean; EdwaN
Stewart, president OF district No. II
and William Mitch, secretary of dis
trict No. II.
The men provided bonds of $10.00l
each, which were furnished by Z sure
ty company. The hearing will be held
at 10 o'clock next Tuesday morning.
The other men named in the infor
nation. which was prepared by United
District Attorney L. Ert Slack and
Dan Simms. special assistant attorney
general are without the Jurisdiction OF
the local federal court and proceed.
ings will be started at once to brino
them into court
Charged With Violation.
The men are charged in the informa,
ton with violations of the injunction
/ issued by Judge Anderson, which or
dered resembling the strike order ant
restrained the officials from encour
aging or furthering the strike of btu
minous coal miners of the country.
Clinton Men Defendants.
The first specific case against loca,
officers will charge the heads Of two
Clinton. Ind. locals with violation OF
the Injunction through payment. by
subterfuge OF strike benefits.
l. The general charges against the
miners heads allege that since the is
suance Of the injunction against en-.
couragement of the strike or action
to limit the production of coal every
official has violated the Injunction by
passively consenting that the strike
be continued and by maintaining IN
attitude toward the membershib and
by statements to representatives oi
the Associated Press and newspapers
that said membership will not 20 bach
to work but will remain on strike"
The attitude of the government
throughout its recital Of evidence
against the miners, in that bysmefely
/ refraining from returning to work aft
er the strike order had been 'resciId.
ed by the union leaders and the in.
junction had been issued. the men are
guilty of violating the courts mandate.
An important charge and one on
which the government Is relying to
! prove its case. Is that the officials
; when issuing their notice that the
strike order had been rescinded, MIN
eographed the notice on blank paper.
and omitted fro mthe copies an i'm
print of the official seal of the union.
1t is added that upon receipt Of tho
notice the unions throughout the coun-
try took the position. and $50 stated In
the daily press and by word of mouth.
that the withdrawal and cancellation
notice was defective. invalid and with.
| out authority" because 1t did not beae
this seal and because the signatures
Of officials were printed and not sign
ed by hand.
| Lewis 10 Cited.
| President Lewis is specifically CIT
ed in one charge with refusing to notj-
fy the members that the withdrawal
order was issued and communicated
in good faith and that its purpose
really was to cancel the strike. The
charge adds that Mr.. Lewis still re.
fuses to send out such assurance
The coal strike situation in Indiana.
as reported this morning was practic.
ally unchanged. Promise OF the first
break of the strike in the state came
with the announcement that miners
in the district around Brazil, ind.
we're organizing a cooperative COM
pany to operate a strip mine In that
district, on a royalty basis. Il was
pointed out. however, that this action
was not in compliance with the order
of the government for return to work
, at a wage advance Of II per cent, but
was intended to furnish coal only to
that particular section Of the state.
| CHICAGO, Dec. 4.-Preparations for
conserving fuel supplies went forward
today over virtually the entire coun-