The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-10-19
Bound to Cause a Lot Of
Trouble For Every
One
LEADERS ARE RADICAL
Some Inside Views By
First Hand American
Observer

Just back from working in
English coal mines to tinu out
IirsJ.haud what the working.
man in England thinks, Whit
ing Williams, steel company
labor expert and author, today
tells what the great coal strike
means. Williams won uatIoual
fame last year by quitting his
while,ColIar job as a steel com
many OFFICIAL and going 20 work
In eastern steel plants as au
uuSkilleu worker. He worked
and lived with the lowest-patd
workers and learned how they
felt and what they thought.
newspaper and magazine ar
tIcies, q book and many public
addresses, recouutins MS eN.
perienccs, attracted national
attention. Last summer Wi.
Nams, a former college PROBES.
sor, went to England AID re.
ueated his American exploits.
He has Just returned 10 Amer
lea, He worked in English
coal mines. Therefore the fol-
lowing article Is the first and
freshest work on the English
!. coal strike brought to America
%.sJsrFA alpaelgR sge' 't,st3
81 WHITING WILLIAMS
(Author Of Whats on the Workers
Mind?")
MIR. Chairman and Fellow Work.
men! Mr.. Chairman and Fellow
Workmen!"
No one could ever forget tho
deadly earnesCness OF that appeal
to our attention and goodwill there
in the union meetings OF the little
South Wales town, as one miner
after another ,arose to add his voice
and vote against or for the strike.
Mostly for.
The two days strike which re.
suited was only local one, but It
was engineered and accomplished
by men who openly proclaimed
themselves devoted to the raising
OF the red flag of Bolshevism over
the House of Parliament. Welsh
enough they were and not Russian,
but they claimed TO be in touch
with secret London representatives
of the Soviet, who gave them the
real information that nowhere else
In the world were conditions for
the workingman SO favorable as IN
the land ruled from MOSCOW.
"These Bolshies ERE be over
proud O. themselves and their wild
extremes" u middle Of the road
miner said to me as We walked To-
gether through the darkness the
two miles up hill and down dale
that led from the shaft to our loca'
tions "At the face"
But after all they do be the
mouthpiece OF the whool crowd 0t
US thOt be fair Don 'appy.
We Could Hear Strike Talk.
This uuhappiness It was very
easy to sec even In the thick dark
ness OF the headings 800 feet away
from sunlight, AS he brought
down the coal from the. bulglnS
seam and | carried 1t in my curl
could hear the other Colliers or
''bewers" in the next stall trying TO
persuade their friends not to work
or else discussing the cardinal
points OF their new Industrial and
political faith Whether they work.
ed or not the minimum wage law,
In effect siTCG lHl2, Tould bring
them practically the same pay as
the flRultcrS and other day" work
ers who put in q strenuous turn.
Now the roof of tho industrial
house Of Britain Is quivering with
the shout of its 100000 miners as
they lay down their picks and shoN'
els.
Luckily not all British miners
are as extreme as my Welsh bud
dies. Up In Yorkshire, for instance
where the coal tips" rise alongside
tho church spires TO grace the land.
scape OF pleasant hedgelined
fields and meadows, they voted
against the nationwide strike.
Meanwhile, the strike Is not
ngainst the owners Of the mines
but against the government, which
has been in control Of them since
the days of tho war. The union
leaders, Smlliie and Hodges. claim
cd that the government.fixeu prices
gave both the government and the
owners 100 much profit and so de-
manded a reduction OF IA shillings
tuppenCe per ton to the domestic
consumers as means OF lowering
Continued on poge Eight