Arizona republican., 1920-04-10
Howat Makes Bitter Attack

Howat Makes Bitter Attack
 GERARD, kans., April 9.-Whatever the next move Of officers of District If, United Mine Workers may be, 1t will be directed toward forcing Gov ernor Henry J Allen to make good on his industrial court law he has talked so much about, or to fail" Alexander HoWat, president of the district, said late tonight in the Crawford county jail.
 ..'T do not know whether we shall appeal this case to the supreme court HoNat said. That is a, matter in which we vii, be guided by our attor ney, Phil H. Gallery.
 There is another way to bring this thing to a showdown. That other way IS a strike of the miners of the district.
 The workers or Kansas are not go- ing to submit to this law. It isn't a law; it's an outrage.
 Howat gave the following statement to the press:
 "Our position now is the same as it has been from the beginning since the industrial court law was passed at the lnStigation of Gov. Allen. This law is intended to enslave the working class of this state and to destroy or ganized labor and is intended to put the mine workers and all other classes ot labor back where they were years ago before we had an organization. The mine workers Ot district No. fl were compelled to strike for four years in order to compel the coal operators in this state to recognize our rights to belong to a labor organization. The miners and their families suffered un told hardships to establish our organi- zation here We were fighting then for a principle and we hoped that when the fight was won we could stand up and proclaim to the world that at last we were free men. Gov. Henry Allen and the Kansas legislature have decided now to put us back where we were years ago.
 f'Gov. Allen has decided that our struggles of the past amount to noth- ing and that we are again to be chained to our jobs like a pack of slaves in this country. which is called free America Our attitude toward the industrial slave law is like that of Wendell Phil lips regarding the fugitive slave law before the civil war, when if a slave escaped from his master to free state he could be taken back to his master and chained to his job. They said that was the law a. that time and they say the industrial court law is a law at this time,zbut any law hat makes slaves or honest workers should be trampled un-| der the feet of the people and receive no more consideration at the hands of the men who are affected by 1t than they received at the hands of those who passed it.''
 T am determined that the mine workers of this district shall never submit to this form of slavery which is provided for in the court of indus trial relations. We have committed no crime of any kind. We are put in jail merely because we refuse to tell three corporation lawyers something about mining business in this state. These three men were appointed by Cover nor Allen, the slave driver: Governor tIan 1n1+ fnfo ln h0 d0- stroyer of organized labor and the op- pressor of human rights.
 The fight is on and I believe the time is near at hand when the toiling masses of the country will take the law into their own hands and refuse the past to the outrages that have been imposed on them by the large employers of labor and the legisla- tive bodies of this country. We suf- fered under the iron heel of oppression Tor many yeE The working classes, however, are beginning to understand that it is in their hands to right the wrongs that have been imposed upon them in the past and I believe at the next general election that they will that fact. Whatever move is made towards our freedom, I don't know, as it is entirely in the hands of our attorney.
 We expect to remain in jail indefi- nitely from present indications
 Howat declared he and his associ- ! ates did not question the constitution aIity of the industrial relations court l act
 We declare it is slavery" he added. l
 The statement was made here late l tonight by county official that every 1 mine in the district will be closed to- morrow and that the miners would go | on strike indefinitely.