The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-06
OPERATORS BLAME. MINE WORKER ERS. INVASION.
0lmstead Answers GomperS' Statement, Declaring It "HypocriticaI, False
 and Misleading"
By Associated Press

By Associated Press
 Washington, September 5.-Offi- cials of the United Mine Workers of America were charged with respon- sbility flor the invasion of Logan county and proposed invasion of Min go county by armed miners" in statement issued here tonight by Harry Olmstead, chairman of the operators association of the Will Hanson field. The statement was de- clared to be in answer to that Of Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor which Olmstead described as "hypocritical and in many instances false and mis- leading"
 Mine guards and private detectives are not employed by operators in the Williams field MT. Olmstead said, ad- ding that MT. Gompers had "delib- erately nisrepresented conditions that have preceded and surrounded the attempt at armed invasion The charge of MT. Gompefs that the up- rising had been caused by the rail- ure of the operators to put into effect the award of the government wago board was characterized as another falsehood."
 The mine operators were under no obligation to do go" the statement said. they having no sort of con nection with the coal fields covered by that award
 Increases Allowed
 nevertheless, the increases allowed by the United States government were adopted in this field promptly after the amount of increase had been liked. It has never before been al legged that the strike in the William son field was due to wage adjust ments or any cause other than to compel recognition of the United Mlne Workers' organization.
 coal Is measured rather thaE weighed in this field because it is the most satisfactory way of accounting between the miners and the employ CTS. The men have never asked to haze the system changed. They don't want Il changed
 The earnings per day or weefs or month iss Che teal test Such a statemont competing the earrings in the Williamson field with those in the unionized Nanawaha field was summarized and submitted to inc Senatorial investigation committed in July. Possibly 1t was jealousy tha caused the Kanawaha miners to at tempt an invasion
 Says Gompers RIdIcuIous
 MT Gompcrs makes himself ri- dicuious to West Virginians when rc makes his plea about miners pro- testing against lawlessness In SO far as he refers to the mine workers. ~he miners themselves are generally law abiding. Every difficulty that nas ever occurred in the mining fields of West Virginia has been occasioned Iv the thugs and outlaws of the United Miners organization who came into the state to compel the unionization of these, coal fields.
 "The invasion of Logan county and the threatened invasion of Minso county was not a spontaneous up- rising It was threatened by the United Mine Workers organization in the Williamson field as early as April and May 1920.
 Tn the counties of Logan and Mingo, W. Va, and Pike county Ky, having an aggregate of 1883 square miles and an aggregate pop ulation of 116,S47 people, there were not employed as many as 100 peace officers prior to the invasion of the organizers of the United Mine Work CTS. They were not needed.
 BaIdwln-Felts Employees
 Many of these peace officers were Baldwin Felts employees but included only regularly chosen deputy sherlffs and constables and other officers.
 When the United Mine Workers of America was formed in 1890 1t was recognized as a lawful organization and continued as such until 1898, when they entered into a conspiracy with, the central competitive field to control the bituminous coal markets of the United States.
 Since 1912 it has been the policy of the mine workers to compel by the use of force in every conceivable way all persons engaged In the min ing industry to join that union. and 1t has likewise been its policy to de- stroy all business of non-union oper- ators the end of which would mean the subjection of the coal industry of the United States to such unjust and unlawful demands as it might desire to put into force"
 O,DUFFEY ON TOUR