The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-07-30
WANT OPERATORS
TO RECOGNIZE
MINERS UNION

q Williamson. w. Va, July 30-An
Industrial conflict is being waged be-
tween mine operators and leaders of
the United Mine Workers over the
question whether all the sbitumfnous
coal miners in West Virginia shall be
organized as union men.
The miners leaders also demand
that the scale of pay now in use in
the Kanawha field be adopted in the
Mingo county bituminous field here.
Charles F. Keeney, president of
District No. II of then United Mine
Workers, who is in command of the
union forces. explains the situation
here by saying:
There are approximately $4,000
organized miners in West Virginia
and $4,000 who have not yet been
organized. These unorganized men
are mostly in the counties of Mingo,
Mcdowell, Logan, Raleigh, Mercer
and Wayne, all in the southern part
of the state. The campaign to organ
lie these miners is well under way
and we expect to have it completed
before the snow flies.
1.-The men and the operators could
get together and settle this thing if
1t were not for the mine guards. They
are depriving the men of their con-
stitutfonal rights and that brings
about trouble. Why. understand
the sheriff of Pike county has depu-
tized some 300 men and the coal COM
panies are paying them, while detect
ives are on the border between Mingo
and Mcdowell counties with rifles
and machine guns.
'eWhat would happen If an attempt
were made to operate the mines here
with non-union men? wouldn't like
to say. But in their present temper,
these men are not to be fooled with.
Right now this situation is a powder
mill. The men have no complaint
when the law is enforced by the
proper authorities. But they will op-
pose to the last. the use of private
armies enlisted by the coal compan-
les"
Harry Olmstead of the Coal Oper-
ators' Association Of Williamson, gave
the other side of the controversy:
" 1.-THE United Mine Workers want
to organize their held," said Mr..
I Olmstead, land then move on to the
larger and more important fields Of
Mcdowell, Wyoming, Mercer counties,
and what mines have not been organA
lied in Raleigh. These are the last
important unorganized bitumlnous
coal fields in the country and. with
these organized. the union will con-
troll the bituminous production OF the
United States. They will then be IN
position to enforce the demands
formulated at the Cleveland conven-
ton last year. and which they could
not enforce in the general coal strlke
last year, because our mines IN tnas
part of the state were operating and
our men stuck to their posts. we
saved the country from suffering then
because this field was not organized.
The Kanawha scale which the
union demands Is less than the scale
we are now paying and I don't know
that the question of treatment OF
working conditions has entered into
the controversy. IT In Just a question
of the United Mine Workers unioniz-
ing the mines with all that such
course carries. We object to that, be-
cause for IA matter OF 20 years, we
have enjoyed peace and quiet here In
this field, and I may say that be-
cause OF this, We have made the sue-
cess Of this field possible.
4 "AIi differences have been settled
by operators and miners, and settled
Enthusiastically. / know Of some union
men who have come In here from
union fields but they left just as soon
as the union organizers came in last
spring, / don't believe there is any
basic union sentiment In the field, be-
cause tho men have always made good
money,
The mines ars among the best In
the state, We have no gas and con
sequsntiy no explosions and the living
conditions In the valley are good,
"Fhs BaidwiH=Felts detectives
about whom one hears 80 much, are
not employed to guard property ane
IA RIl9flS III
fact there is not mine guard II
Minge county. These HaeH are EN-
ployed by the companies as any cor
pofatisH which does not have its owl
intelligence department employs sucf
men,"
wear abept 100000 tons of Goa
werth absut sls,688,6es with the los
Of only Sin iives, aeeeFdiHg to j. "
st, Clair, state nine inspector for tina
district.