New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-28
COrsaw all Asks
Helg, OF People
I'm Mine Crisis
Union Campaign to Enroll
All Mingo County Work
ers Finds Both Sides in
w. Virginia Standing Pat
Twelve Killed So Fa,,
Wages Held q Secondary
Issue TO Full Rc'pNgl,-
ton of Organized Labor

VI NA
an address to an audience of more than
thousand persons here to-day, Gov
ernor John ]. Cornwell appealed to the
citizens of Mingo County to assist
officials in the maintenance of law and
order.
The campaign of the United Mine
Workers to organize the five Thousand
miners in the MIngo County bituminous
coal field has precipitated a situation
which each side declages can only end
when it has won a complete victory. In
the conflicts growing out Of this move
twelve or more persons have lost their
Ewes. Wages. apparently, 70, m a sec
ondary consideration, the battle being
waged around recognition OF the union
and the right of mine owrers to en-
ploy private detectives in and around
the mines.
"The men and the opera tors could get
together and settle this thing were it
not for the question of the mine
dent of District No. IT, United Mine
Workers, who is in command of the
union forces. "But in their present
temper these men are not to be fooled
with. Right now this situation is a
powder mill"
"There Us not mine guard in Mingo
County, and there has not been for
years." said George Bausewne. secre-
tary of the Coal Operators Associa-
ton, of Williamson. "Private detec-
tives are employed as other corpora
tions employ deteotivcs for intelligence
work in and around their properties.
They are not used for guarding the
mines"
Recognition of Union Is Issue
The question of wages hinges on the
scale paid in the Kanawha field The
union leaders dec lare that adoption of
this scale would increase the earnings
OF the miners in Mingo, while the oper-
stors insist that their miners, under
the scale now in force, are being paid
more than it is possible for the Ka-
nawha miners to earn. However, little
attention is being paid to that phase
of the controversy. Recognition of the
union is the big issue.
The Mingo field Includes all of Mingo
County along the Kentucky side of
Tug River, shallow, narrow stream
which for miles in this region forms
the boundary between Kentucky and
West Virginia. High mountains rise
abruptly on each SIDE of the liver,
their sides covered with a heavy growth
Of bushes. Along the mountai nsides
are the drift mines from which comes
the coal, and nesting in the narrow
valley are the little towns where 1.-Two
the miners and their families
Fully rs per cent of the miners in
the region are native born, many of
them the descendants of pioneers who
entered the country more than one
hundred years ago, and who are proud
of their lineage. Some foreign born
miners can be found in the camps,
while numbers Of negroes are en-
ployed. Often the miner owns a sma1
acreage. for which in the planting anl
harvesting he will abandon the mines
Houses Have Garden Plots
In some places the miners live in
brick cottages. each having its garden
plot and front porch. Such Village
miners were fred upon from the
mountainside while going to work In
other villages the houses are of frame
construction, each set in ity own gar
den plot, and for which the miners
pay at the rate of two dollars a month
a room.
Williamson, the centep of the region,
is pleasantly placed in the valley, with
substantial buildings and good stores.
of the best structures, but the City
Hall also is complete Office building,
while there is in course of construc-
ton theater WHICH will cost $3.50, 900.
The 5000 rcsidGlts OF the town very
generally enc the prosperity which
has come to the coal trade in the past
few years
Early in tbc year the movement to
organize tne United Mine Workers was
inaugurated by keency from district
headquarters at Charleston. and organ
izers were sent into Mingo County.
They met with such success that de
mand was made upon the operators for
the enforcement Of the Kanawha scale
and rec ignition of the union. This de-
mand theMQperators refused, and the
union called a strike. The order, mine
operators say, was answered by from
1900 to 1900 miners, but the union Of
flcials put the figure higher
Miners Evirted from Homes
The compa mics, through their
, lawyers, took the position that the
houses built for the miners who had
gone on strike. reverted at once to the
owners.
The miners. in some instances, held
that If the companies wanted the house
of a man tAey must obtain possession
of 1t by due process of law.
Numbers Of miners were evicted from
company houses, and it. was for that
purpose private detectives, "mine
guards" the miners term them, were
sent to Matewan June 10, and where in
the tiF.ht which followed the eviction
of tiv e families ten persons were killed