Evening star., 1920-01-04
MERRITT EXPLAINS
M|SQUOT|NG CHIEF
Of MINE WORKERS
Representative Attributed
Words of "Tom l." to
"J0hn l." Lewis.
By the Associated Press.

| Dy the ASSOcldteu ITesS
STAMFORD. Conn, January q
Representative Schuyler Merritt of
Connecticut today forwarded to John
l.. Lewis, acting president of the
United Mine Workers, Indianapolis.
Ind, a letter in reply to one sent him
by Mr.. Lewis and make public De-
| cember 90. In it Mr.. Merritt said that
quotations used by him in a speech
october 20 were by clerical error at
tributed to John l.. Lewis, when they
were, in fact, made by Tom l.. Lewis,
then a vice president, afterward
president of the United Mine Workers.
Mr. Lewis asked Mr.. Merritt to
| make amends for certain statements
in a speech delivered by the repre-
sentative on the floor of the House
October 90, and to make public ad-
mission" of the mistake.
Lewis DisOwns Statements.
Mr.. Lewis in his own letter had said
that quotations used by Mr.. Merritt
in his speech were not statements
that he had made or would make, and
called attention to the fact that
Judge Anderson. in lnstructing
called attention to the speech of Rep
resentative Merritt on the date men,
toned.
Representative Merritt in his letter
said that. as the papers needed to
formulate a reply were in Washing
ford. it took some time to address Mr.
Lewis. He thanked the latter for
calling his attention to the charge OF
Judge Anderson. He (Representative
Merritt) notes that the inquiry by the
grand jury and the chcarge OF the
judge were directed to the question
whether there has been or is an ar
rangement or conspiracy between the
miners or their unions and the oper-
ators for wiping out competition from
non-union mines. Mr.. Merritt said ne
took his facts. embodied in his speech,
from the record of the case OF the
Coronado Coal Company against the
United Mine Workers of America.
Said Mr.. Merritt: Il did that because
l was anxious to make no statement
which had not been verified in court
and had not been subjected to the
rules of evidence, so that the state
ment could be relief upon
Quotation in Merritt's Speech.
THE statement from my speech
which the judge quotes, as set forth
in the Indianapolis paper (copy sent
by Mr.. Lewis) is that Mr.. John L.
Lewis, one of the representatives OF
the United Mine Workers, when at
tending one of the joint conferences
with the operators referred to the
purpose of the conference as follows:
"'OHere follows quotation from quo
taton in Mr. Merritt's speech.
Continuing, Mr.. Merritt. in his let
ter says:
Now the only inaccuracy in that
statement is, and that was simply
due to a clerical error in COPYING
that the man who made the state
ment was not Mr.. John L.. but was
Lewis was at that time vice presl-
dent of the United Mine Workers OF
America, and later became president
thereof. Proof of his remarks is
in ho ininf rnnfaranca nrO-
ceedings of 1901 between the represent
atives of the mine workers and the
operators for the central competitive
field, which proceedings were printed
under the joint auspices OF Doth IN
terests. This quotation in my speech
and subsequent quotations were IN
tended to show that there was at
least some basis for the charge OF
Joint action between the miners and
the operators to drive out non n-union
mines and miners from the market, and
that this policy had been pursued for
years. This is the important ques-
tion and the question of what par
ticular representatives of the United
Miners might have made the state
ment is not, / think, important.
regret the clerical error. as l want
ed to be entirely accurate, and l re-
gret also if the error has caused you
any damage or Inconvenience.
Not Enemy of Labor. Merritt Says.
LII youT statement III SAiS
newspapers you refer to me as 'one
of the most implacable enemies of
organized labor l do not know
where you got this erroneous notion,
the fact being that am not an ene-
my, implacablexar otherwise. of or
ganized labor or OF any labor. but be-
lieve I am gondIrtend of labor and
laborers. Mysspeeth in Congress was
intended to rafF- attention to certain
illegal practices of the United Mine
Workers and.thsfr- officials which had
been shown in court. and to express
my belief, which all good citizens
must share, that no man or body of
men can place themselves above the
law. All labor and laboring men
especially need the protection of tho
law for themselves and their families
and their property. Events happen
ing in various parts of the world
prove this too clearly to need argu-
ment. and l hope that all citizens.
whether employers or employed, will
not only accept this principle as a
theory, but act upon it,"
nnaY rrar-ro a0y1 y~~-~-