The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-27
Fifteen Hundred Kansas Miners
Prepare to Start Work.
Executive Board Calls Of All
Its Own Strikes.
HOWAT EXPLAINS HIS ACTION
Going to Jail Would Not Have
Helped Miners.
Court Tying Up Strike Benefits
Made Fight Hopeless.

It
hundred miners of the Central Coal
& Coke company and several related
| companies idle since last July were
preparing today for the return to
work.
The mines were being put into
shape today for the hosting OF coal
MONDAY. 1t was announced that the
plants are in fair condition now. The
union executive board at its meeting
yesterday adopted a motion decIar-
ing the Central strike terminated and
lnsFucting the men to return to work
this morning.
| Three big Western Coal & Mining
company mines were idle today be-
cause of strikes. These were num-
oers Is, 16. and IS. The man re-
1 Trained from working because of a
dispute concerning house coal. that
/ Is coal for their own use.
Pittsburg. Kan. Dec. 27.-Showirr
his unwillingness to comply with the
terms laid down by Judge Anderson
and his determination to continue
ms night against the coal mine owners
at every opportunity. Alexander
Howat yesterday Afternoon in session
with the executive board of District
IA. promulgated in the form of mo-
ton of the board an order to ali
unions to return to work. Doing SO
he complied with the orders of the
/ international union officiais-but with
reservations.
| The motion reads:
I That the strikes that are now in
effect in District IA. that were called
/ by the executive board are hereby ter
| minated. and all members of our
union who were ordered to cease work
by the executive board are advised to
resume work beginning Saturday
morning. December 81, 1919 These
instructions Oi in v,ls
with the order of the federal govern
nent and also in accordance with the
| urgent request and recommendation
of our international Officials
/ Two Strikes Not Affected.
This motion puts an end to the
company. which was started last July.
The Central strike was called by or
der of the executive board The mo-
ton. however, will not call off all the
strikes now being carried on in the
Kansas coal field.
! The men at the B. r. and II. mine
are still idle. They walked out be-
i cause. one of their members who
teers and who was later expelled from
the union. was not discharged oy the
state receivers when the union had ex-
PEELED him.
There is still one other mine idle be-
cause of the "Howat strike This is
company. This walk-out also was not
called by the executive board and of
course is not affected by the action
! taken yesterday afternoon. The men
at this mine have been out for three
days and last night did not indicate
that they were any more willing to
end their voluntary strike today than
they were when the men walked out
because their. district chief was placed
in jail by Judge Anderson.
II Howat's Statement.
Howats statement follows:
ITO have continued the strike in this
district under the circumstance with
which we were confronted would have
been crime against the members OF
our own union. The fact that myself
and every member of the district
executive board might have been will
ing to go to prison for a. few years
for contempt of court and for viola
ton of the Lever act, which provides
a $4,000 fine. would have been a
useless sacrifice, as the fight now is
not a fight between the miners and
the operators.
THE operators were put out of the
fight and the federal government took
their plr ~e because of violation Of the
Lever act. Even tho we had all gone
. to prison the strikes cold not have
been a success. as the government in
tended to order the assessment now in
z effect to provide for the men who are
now on strike to be discontinued. The
4 vernn.ent intended To prohibit any
: person from paying strike benefits to
, the men who were on strike. Il in-
, tended to prohibit any one from fur
| nishing in any way any relief to the
, strikers. as the position of the court
, was that any one who furnished relief
: for the strikers was violating the in
junction issued by the court. which
provided no one was to assist OF pro-
. vide in any manner for those who
i were on strike.
Under such circumstances we un-
derstood the fight was hopeless. and
, even tho every member Of the execu-
toye board went to prison, such act
ID nn tinned m PAGE T1Eo.l