Evening star., 1919-12-17
Jury IS CHARGED
IN COAL INQUIRY
Judge Anderson Opens Pro-
ceedingS With Vigorous
Statement.

INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, December IL
The federal grand jury. summoned
by United States District Judge A. B.
Anderson to investigate alleged viola
tlons OF the Lever act and antitrust
laws by operators and miners and
charges of conspiracy by both. in con-
nection with the strike OF bituminous
coal miners. was iinpaneled today
Judge Anderson's charge TO tho
jury was lengthy and in concluding.
he said:
Let your investigation in all these
matters be thorough and searching
ana let your conclusions be a full an
swer TO a question which has been
uppermoSt in the minds of our citi-
zens for the last few weeks-that is
whether the government of the Unit
cd states or n group of men shall rule
this country. and whether we shall
be governed by law or force"
Judge Anderson instructed the Jury
to investigate charges that the mine
owners not only conspireu among
themselves to limit the production
OF coal. but that they conspired with
the miners themselves.
Injunction Was DeHed.
Stress was laid on the failure OF
the miners to return to work when
the order calling the strike of miners
was reScinded by international off,
ceres of the United Mine Workers
by direction of the court. Judge An
derson declared that the courts or
DER to cancel the strike was complied
with ''in form only" and that for a
month the injunction was ignored
and tiefied"
Judge Anderson called attention to
the system in effect in practically all
mines whereby the miners union dues
are held from their pay and turned
over to the union by the operators He
also pointed to charges that since tho
passage of the Lever act the mine own
ers have made enormous profits. and
that these profits lave been made by
handling the business in certain par
tlculars in violation of the Lever law
Quotes Speech I'm House.
The charge quotes from a speech
made in the House of Representa-
tives on October %, in which il was
declared that union miners, by joint
conferences with operators. had
reached an agreement that the usual
methods OF organized labor be utilized
to destroy non-union competition. The
same speech, he said, quoted John l..
Lewis. acting president of the United
Mine Workers. when attending one
of the joint conferences as saying
that. as he understood the purpose
of the meeting, il was to wipe out
competition between us as miners
! first; next. for the purpose of wiping
out competition as between OPP
orators in these four states Undians.
Ohio. Illinois and western Pennsyl-
Vania). And then, il I under
stand the real purpose of this move-
ment. it is that we Will Jointly de-
clare war on every man outside this
competitive field who will do anything
in any way endangering the peace
that exists between u.s."
Called Direct Admission.
"On the face of it," Judge Anderson
declared. this is a direct admission
by Mr.. Lewis that the charge of an
unlawful combination between the
mine workers and the mine operators
is true"
Several witnesses, among them coal
mine operators. had already been
summoned to appear. and indications
were that the operators would be the
first of the two main groups of all
legged violators under investigation.
Government attorneys have stated
that they expect to have the grand
jury inquire also into methods of
dealers and others not classed with
the operators or miners.