Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1921-09-08
Federal Government Steps In to
Put Down InsurreCtion In
West Virginia.
TROOPS TO END MINE WAR
Freight Rates for Export Grain Re-
duced-Gerntany In Political Fer
ment-RevoIt In India Suppressed
Progress of The Irish Ne
qotiations.
By EDWARD w. PIcKARD.


Thousands of armed men led by pro-
fessional trouble makers, massed In
the hills Of West Virginia determined
TO invade the coal mining counties to
unionize the miners there, and defying
the order of President Harding to dis
perse and 90 home. Thousands OF
volunteer troops, deputies and mine
guards gathered to resist the invasion.
Two regiments Of the regular army at
Camp Dix and one at Camp Sherman
ready to start for the scene Of dis
turbance to enforce the edicts Of the
president. Army airplanes with
bombs and machine guns waiting at
Charleston. Proclamation Of martial
law in several counties Of West Nir-
ginia signed by President Harding and
about to be issued.
Such was the status of our own
"war" at the time Of writing. The
condition was serious enough to de-
mand the undivided attention OF the
President and his cabinet. Brig. Gen.
Fl. H. Bandholtz, who had been sent
to West Virginia to report on the
situation. had found that there was
no likelihood that the insurgents
would disperse until snow of force
was made by the government ana
had asked Secretary Weeks to SEND
federal troops at once. General Band
holtz. II was understood, would be In
command. In Washington Secretary
Weeks said: 81 don't want to say
what will be done, but If we are forced
TO use troops, 1t will be plenty y
The trouble in West Virginia is of
20 years standing. In l9Ol-O2 the
miners union began their attempts
to unionize the coal fields there, and
the Glen Jean strike was called. Ever
since then the warfare has been GO
ing on at times more serious than at
others but never ceasing entirely.
In recent years the conditions have
been growing worse, for the I. w. W.'s
and Communists and other agents Of
disorder and violence flocked to the re-
gion. A year ago last May the opera
tors in Mingo county undertook to
eyict a number Of union miners who
occupied company houses, and bloody
fighting resulted. The unions retail
lated by calling a strike in the border
counties, but the operators obtained
plenty of nonunion men. The present
outbreak really began last May, after
federal troops were withdrawn. There
was what amounted almost to an In
surrection. Until now the miners
have fought only with the state troop
ers and the deputies. Early last week
Governor Morgan sent to President
Harding and Secretary Of War Weeks
plea for federal troops, saying the
insurrectioniStS were beyond the cor
troll Of the state forces and were seiz-
Ing passenger trains to transport their
re-enforcements and GU ting all tele-
graph and telephone wires. He de-
clared the men assembled TO resist
the invasion of Logan county would
be utterly unable 20 repel the attack.
General BandhOltZ. who had been sent
10 investigate the situation, reported
to Washington that the state had
made only feeble efforts to check the
growth Of the inSurgent movement,
hut nevertheless the President on
Tuesday issued his proclamation
warning the insurreCtioniStS that If
they did not at once diSperSe and re-
turn to their homes the army would
be used to suppress them.
Although John T. Lewis. president
of the national miners union. asserts
that all the trouble Is traceahlc "to
the continual assaults and "utraGeS
perpctrated upon individual mine
workers by the armed Baldwin
FcltS guards employed by the