Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-09
CHARGES union
HEADS AID STRIKE.
lnsurgent Leader Declares
Miners Are Not Urged to
Return to Mines
POLICE ARREST PICKETS

Special Dispdt.h n Evening Public ledger
Wilkes Barre. Pa. Sept. 0.--Enoch
Williams, leader of the insurgent strike
in the anthracite fields. today declared
that union leaders in Districts 7 and q
are not telling mine workers to return
to work. Williams was emphatic in
| his statement that the union leaders in
the two lower districts are in sympathy
with the strike.
"You probably know" said Will
| liams. that Districts 7 and 81 are 100
per cent unionized. The leaders in
these districts are laying back"
DO yon mean" he was asked. that
the union leaders In and Q are not tell
ing the men TO go to workT'
Exactly" he said, "the leaders
there are not telling the men to return
to work"
Collieries Reopen
While the strike in Z and Q remains
unbrokCn. conditions are rapidly re-
turning to normal in District No. !.
There werc seventy five COllicrics of the
l25 in this district at work today. the
South Wilkes Barre colliery of the Lc-
high Valley being the latest addition.
Th" coliericS that are operating have n
normal force. The insurgents have
spent their force in District No. and
the dcscrtions from their ranks have
been on such a big scale that insurgent
leaders are admitting that the "vaCa-
ton" has been a complete failure in the
upper districts.
John Il. Gallagher and Peter O'Don-
nell. officials of the United Mine
Workers. have been zealously at work in
District I getting the men to return to
work They have urged various local
unions to vote to return and save the
union from disruption. Their advice has
been generally followed.
Insurgents made n last bold stroke
today to head off the "back to the
mines" movement. Pickets were placed
on duty throughout District ! Sheriff
John MacLuskic drove them away and
repeated his warning to the strikers
that piCketing will not be tolerated.
ANY attempt at picketing." he said,
will be fought with our full force.
Strikers who resort to piCkcting must
be prepared to accept the conse-
quenccS.
Pickets Arrested
In Luzprnc there was line of pickets
at the Payne and HaddoCk collieres
State troopers were on the scene and
they aided John T. Killeen, private
detective. in making arrests. Four men
were locked up and the remainder of
the picketS put TO flight.
In Shamokin last night, the United |
Mine Workers had Il meeting and they |
were addressed by leaders of the union. |
One of the members charged that the
district officials were supporting the |
strike in not instructing the men to |
return to work.
At meetings in Shamokin and Halle |
ton. that were addressed by District |
Presidents Kennedy and Golden. there |
was no urging the men to get back to
work. Criticisms We're made of the |
award and talk confined almost wholly |
to that phase of the situation.
Meetings are being held in the upper
part of District | today, aud II move
ment is on to get the men back to
work.
State troopers reported no serious |
disorders in the fields today.
There is belief that Secretary of !
Labor Wilson will make a decision in !,
the appeal of miners for the reopening !
of the anthracite case just as soon az
the men return to work.
Washington. Sept. 0.--Sccretary of |
Labor William B. Wilson had the an
thracite coal situation before him today |
upon returning to his Office from Penn. |
sylvania. There were intimations from |
officials of the Department of Labor
that the secretary would have an an
later, possibly relating to |
the governments policy in the strike.
Department of Justice officials are un-
iPrstood to be examining evidence for |
probable conspiracy prosecutions under
the Lever act in accordance with At
.ornoy General Palmer's policy as an
nounced in Pennsylvania several days
ago.