The Washington herald., 1921-09-02
COMPERS BLAMES
PRIVATE GUNNIEN
In MING0 WAR
Mines Last Refuge of Au.
tocracy, Says Labor
Chief in Statement.

the American Federation of Labor,
urges the government TO put an i'm
mediate end TO "an autocracy up
held by a private army OF gunmen,"
in a statement issued last night on
the situation in West Virginia.
The mines of the affected area,
Gompers says constitute the last
refuge Of autocracy in the mining
Industry. He charges that the peo-
pie have been consistently mislead
on the facts Of the situation. The
statement traces the history of the
conflict between the mine. owners
and the workers WHICH has led 70
the present recourse to arms.
Gompers charges the mine own
ers with deliberately disobeying, the
orders OF the government issued
through the United States Coal
Commission.
He charges that the State govern
ment of West Virginia has hopeless
ly broken down because il has failed
to stop the mine owners from en-
forcing their own laws in defiance
of the State laws.
Holds Faets Misinterpreted.
The great mass Of news relating
to West Virginia" Mr.. Gompers
says. conveys the impression that
lawless bands of miners are rowing
the State without reason except an
unjustified bitterness against the
mine owners. Jneducated noun
taineers' they are called
There are four basic facts which
are consistently ignored. These are:
Il. The mines of West Virginia
constitute the last refuge Of au-
toCracy in the mining industry. In
limited greed dominates absolutely
Absentee owners hold immense
tracts Of rich mining land, demand
ing only dividends.
-. The appetite of this private
greed is upheld by a private army
Of killers the like OF which no
longer exists in any other State
This private army is paid by the
mine owners and naturally seeks
to justify its presence by making
business" for itself in the form
Of trouble. The Raldwin-Felts de-
tective agency recruits this army.
but the mine owners pay the bill.
Deputy sheriffs. paid by mine own
ers. form another wing Of the pri-
vate army, equally dangerous.
''3. The present strike is a d.
rect protest against the action of
the mine owners of West Virginia
in refusing TO abide by the award
of the United States Coal Com
mission: II the United States gov
ernment at this time defends the
mine owners and does not destroy
the private armies of the mine
owners the government is in the
position of sustaining a defiance OF
an order issued by its own author
ity.
Secs Collapse Of State.
"4. The State government of
West Virginia has broken down.
not because the miners have pro-
tested against lawlessness. but be-
cause il has failed to stop the mine
owners from enforcing law as a pri-
vate business at the hands Of pri-
vately paid and privately directed
gunmen.
These four paramount truths
have been almost totally ignored.
They have been found to exist by
representatives of the United States
government. The government IT.
self. through the United States
Senate, established these truths.
The Federal Bituminous Commits
sion rendered its report on March
1o.'1s20. 1t carried with IL an award
of "a cents flat on pick and machine
mining to the bituminous miners
of the United States. The coal op-
orators of Mingo County, West Vir-
ginia, refused TO apply the award.
and instead they arbitrarily ap-
piled s, 10 and Is cents on each
mine car rate. there being no coal
weighed throughout that field. The
capacity of these mine cars varies
from two to five tons. and the
highest rate paid per car was $40.
This price for five tons of coal rep
resented and included all dead work
and tonnage rates
THE miners sent committeeman
to the operators and requested that
the award be granted in full. and
the companies refused IL. Every
plea tn the operators was met with
refusal. and finally the miners OF
Sprigg, Stone Mountain and Red
union would not organize them
while they we're on strike. TO return
to work. put all the mines in op-
GRAFTON, and ther they could he
come members of the union. These
CONTINUED on rAeE rwo.