Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-22
CONSPIRACY TO RESTRAIN
COMPETITION


coal miners and the mine operators,
are involved when those two have
falling out. Not only that but there
is a suspicion that the public is al
fected whenever they patch up their
differences; in other words that the
public pays the bill. This lends
more of ordinary interest to their
controversies and to anything affect
them. That is why the struggle to
unionize all the mines in West Nir-
ginia is of vital interest, in Maine as
we'll as West Virginia, because IL it
succeeds it will place all the soft coal
mines under the control of the labor
union and the operators and if those
should agree in charging all that the
traffic will bear there would be no re-
lief short of the Government taking
over and operating the mines. From
what we have learned Of Government
be relief but really an added bur-
den.
1t will be recalled that a short time
ago, Oct. 81, Judge Albert B. Ander-
son of the L. s. District Court of In
diana enioined the United Mine
Workers from efforts to unionize the
non-union mine district of West Vir-
ginia and also the practice of having
contracts between the mine operators
and the union for maintaining the
"check- off, system under which the
operators deducted from the miners
pay envelopes the amount of their
dues to the union.
A full text of the judges opinion
is of interest. 1t opens with these
words: "The bill AYERS and the proof
arrangements oonspiracy-betwee
the United Mine Workers of America
and the coal operators in the So
called Central Competitive Field, to
destroy what some of the conspra-
tors call the vicious competition of
the West Virginia milfes.' 4"
These are strong words but we
have seen no successful effort to
disprove them. The efforts made
by, the union to stir up strife in West
Virginia and the calling in of Gov
eminent troops are of recent demon
stration and bear out Judge Ander-
sons conclusions. Respecting all
the details of the controversy it isn't
so clear but it seems beyond question
that the attempt of the union to com
pei the West Virginia operators to
admit the union would give the lat
ter firm grip on the soft coal COM
merce of the country.
Judge Anderson declares: "The
evidence shows that members of the
Mine Workers Union purchased fire
arms and ammunition and otherwise
financed the violent activities in be-
half of the unionizing forces in West
Virginia, and this state of war con-
tinued until the President sent troops
into the state, and it is only held in
allegiance because of that fact. The
evidence shows that the revenues of
the Mine Workers Union are pro-
duced from dues and assessments
laid upon the members: that these
dues and assessments are by an ar
rangement between the miners or
ganization and the operators, taken
from the wages of the workers
in the mines by the operators and
paid by them to the organization of
mine workers. This is the Check
Off system"
Instead of each union collecting its
own dues it was requiring the mine
management to collect them. Pos
slbly 1T would find it difficult to COM
pei every man to pay unless under
some such arrangement. Anyhow It
is quite apparent the mine operators
employing union labor, by assisting
to collect these funds with which to
fight operators who wouldn't recog-
nize the union were contributing to
destroy that kind of competition, and
Judge Anderson declared that the ev-
1dence showed the Mine Workers I'm
ion had raised in this way two and a
half million dollars which had been
sent into West Virginia to carry on
the struggle.
Without attempting to determine
all the merits or dement's of the con-
froversy in West Virginia, and which
should have no bearing whatever on
this decision, one may readily see
that the laws designed to prevent
conspiracies in restraint OF inter-
state commerce ought to apply in
this instance.