The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-12-06

into service. an unlimited number Of
deputy sheriffs, and special constables'
and that power ought TO have been eH-
rrcised before West Virginia was put
in the Illuminating position Of sup
plant 10 federal authority for ald IN
doing ordinary police duty.
That is erroneous. wholly and mex
ruS;tby SO. The Governor has absolute
~ no power to remove the duly elected
county officers or any OF lhem' OF MIN
go county or any other county IN the
state ! do not hesitate TO say had L
possessed that power the sheriff Of MIN
go county would have been removed by
me several months ago, not because or
personal animoSity toward him, for
have none. but he was so situated and
had gotten into a position where he
could not deal with the situation had
he desired to do so. Nor could he call
an unlimited number of deputy Shcrins,
as you say. for the county was with.
out funds TO pay them and they could
not be made serve without pay.
The Mlngo situation has been perplex-
ing and serious enough for me when 1
had the support of the law-abiding cit
liens, hut with the public misinformed
and prejudiced by such statements az
referred to. it will he infinitely harder.
| have no right or power 10 say 10
the operators of that field: You must
submit and let the organizers come in
and organize your mines so they can
call the men out, as they did in all the
union fields. when the next countrywide
coal strike is pulled off at the beginning
Of winter.
Nor had I any authority to say to the
union officials: That is non-un!on
field You must stay out of it,"
with those questions l could have
nothing to do. The constitution and
the statute laws say that the governor
. shall take care that the laws are exc
i .hn1 No In
governor of West Virginia has asked
himself that question. Men can be in
dicted only in the county where crimes
are committed. They are prosecuted by
n county officer and tried by, local
jury--if tried at all--for they have not
been tried in Mingo county. so far.
The governor Is charged with duty
and given no power. BY special ses-
sion of the legislature l was shorn or
power to remove my own appolntee, 10
correct my own mistakes, much less 10
remove 4 county official or mayor. In
other states 1t is different. Governor
Dawson plead with the Legislature, in
q. message to give that power TO the
governor, but the legislature has be-
l!cvcd it wise TO withhold it,
The end of the World war Found the
state without any National Guard or
governor. The Legislature came dan
gcrously near leaving II that way. l
had to bear the brunt Of the fight to
get l. small state police force. 1t was
so hedged-about with restrictions and
the pay so limited ii has been practice
ally impossible. during the past sigh-
teen months. to secure suitable men.
Three dollars q day and less has not
caused 4 great many hIGh-claSs' depend
able young men to fall over themselves
to enlist to scour the mountains OF
nights tn catch mOonshiners; to take
the chance of being shot by criminals
or Of being sent to the penitentlary Tor
shooting too hastily themselves. II took
Pennsylvania five years To secure
highly trained. efficient State lolice
force in pre-war times. We have been
able 10 secure but rs men. Not all OF
them could be put in MinGo county, Tor
there wer" som" situations elsewhere
that had to Il protected The strike
zone extends for fifty miles. along the
Kentucky border. in canyon between
high. steep hills. one range in West Nir-
ginia. the other across the narrow tug
river IN Kentucky. There are about
fifty different mining camps scattered
along that fifty miles Of canyon, situ-
ated on both sides Of the river. Com
plicatcd with the Strike were pr!Nat"
fruds and struCgi" for III" political
control OF the county.
Nearly nifty men were killed. more
than Two hundred injured. have StruG
glrd with the situation night and day
and conferred with hundreds ~ law,
abiding citizens. both Democrats and
Republicans. The state did its DrSt
with it's pitfulIy small force. 1t got
absolutely no assistance from the shcr-
in 1t could not change the sheriff.
Should | allow u thousand people TO he
killed and the mining property OF THAT
CONTRIBUTIONS IF dollars worth--to
h. DESTROYED" or should | ask the Fed
craI government To furnish the assist
nuCr Guaranteed the states under the
federal constitution? West Virginia IS
n part Of tho Union and has contributed
quite largely 10 its maintenance. popu-
latIon considered.
NV duty seemed plain. I am not go
ing to be turned aside by mSrenresen-
iations, Observation-Disclosures or criticism
I suppose / have no right to ask your
support do. however. have right To
ask that you do not misinform the pub