Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-08
Strike in Coal
Fields to Be Long


FLGtuS tO De LOftg
Continued from PAGE One
trict attorney saw more copies Of thi,
RED" propaganda. It had been sen
in by mail from loyal Americans Il
whom it had been sent. Investigator,
Of the Department of Justice had fount
IL on the persons Of individuals ar
rested for having no visible occupation
but that of creating unrest.
This literature had been prepared
with the utmost skill and cunning
There was the "hot stuff" calling OF
the proletariat to rise and protect theii
| rights There was the down with the
capitalistic- class truck and all thnt
allied claptrap to catch the crack.
Drained and half baked idealst and ig
norant alien.
Then there was a fine line of tn,
persuasive aud argumentative dope, an
pealing to the common sense of oul
common brothers in toll. 1t was in
tended to arouse doubt and discomfort
| Where discomfort does exist in labo,
| circles, its mission was to fan il into
| the flame of outbreak and terrorism.
Some of this flamboyant buncombe
| usually designated as bunk" wa,
! signed with the indefinite but all EN-
bracing word. Committee. Other
sheets closed with the Yours Fro
tcrnally. Workingmen Soldiers and
Sailors Council" the sign manual Of
its Soviet parentagc.
Some of this stuff was not only down
right anarChistic, but absolutely Sc.
ditiouS.
Radicals Speak at Meeting
1t is significant that the meeting on
Wednesday of last week in Wilkes
Barre of the outlaw miners representa-
tives OF the ''workmen's, soldiers and
sailors council were permitted to nd :
dress the delegates They were very
guarded and plausible in their utter.
ances. The big idea with these chaps
was to get recognition and they got il.
mentioned these facts to Enoch
Williams. the little Welshman, who
is the leader Of the insurgent miners
or outlaws in this district. | visited
him at his home in Taylor Just outside
Scranton.
His home is two story detached
frame house on wide and typical min
ing town street. There is gravel side
walk instead of a pavement and tho
street is Of cinder and coal dust.
In the downstairs front room. or
parlor. window was a small printed
handbill. 1t was an invitation to come
to the Welsh Baptist Church and hear
the talented young revivalist, etc. "
Enoch Williams, who is directing the
present industrial dcstinlcs of about
5000 outlaw miners. is a slight built
man. rather frail looking, with a short
hacking cough. sallow complexion and
deep sunkem eyCs-the eyes of an en-
thusiast. He speaks with slight Welsh
accent.
There are blue powder marks on his
checks and forehead from old mine ex-
pIoSionS. lie ronverses in monotone
and never gets dramatic or boistcrous or
explosive when he rcciteS the miners
side Of this controversy.
They say we ar" BolshcvikS. but
We are not. We're just Americans. II
anybody says we are against the gov
crnment, he is not telling the TRUTH"
was his reply to my. question.
Four Dynamite Outrages
But all of the miners in the First
anthracite district are not Enoch Will
liamses. There are hundreds of Sicil-
ianS and Slavs, hot of blood and quick to
seek revenge. Since this outlaw strike
began there have been four dynamite
outrages in and around Pittston. The
last was on Labor Day night. No one
has been killed or fatally injured as
yet.
The federal government isn't sleep
ing on this job. 1t has its agents and
operatives all through the region. They
send daily and often hourly reports to
their Superiors. The long fingers of
Washington are resting lightly on this
troubled situation. let me tell you.
The continuation of the miners va
cation is weakening the influence of the
labor unions in this region. 1t takes
the shape of persistent inquiry, find.
Can union be trusted to keep its
pledges?"
| have talked with business aud pro-
fessional men in PittStOu. the center OF
the outlaw trouble. They are very bit
ter on this subject. Some Of them have
lost thousands of dollars: credits by
the butcher and grocer are being cut
down. Th"i:' side of the story is that
the miners made an agreement with the
operators and now will not live up to
it. They forget that these particular
miners are not members of the union.
Anyhow, there are a dozen different
angles to the controversy.
On high official authority, I am told
that there are about 100. 900 miners out
in the region. Washington takes the
view that this vacation" will be
long one. The Interstate Commerce
Commission has ordered all idle cars to
the bituminous field. That looks bad
for coal shipments to Philadelphia and
elsewhere. There are likely TO BE- some
pretty chilly homes this winter in and
around the Quaker City.