The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-10-29

the union, and that the officers of
their union cannot calla strike or de-
clare d strike to exist, without rend-
ering themselves liable to imprison-
ment or other punishment within the
discretion Of the courts.
81. We shall show that the opera
tors control the law making and the
law enforcing machinery of the State,
and that the laws are enforced for
the operators and against the miners,
but never for the miners and against
the operators, Or impartially against
both operators and miners.
Owner Is Super-Lord.
"S. We shall show that the opera
tors are not merely the miners en-
ployer; they are his landlord, his mer-
chant, the provider of his amuse-
ments' the sanitary officer of his COM
munity, often the source of his police
protection and the patron of his ply
sician, his minister and his school
teacher.
"9.a We shall show that the miners
throughout a lage part Of the non
union section Of the State are coerced
by the use Of anti-union contracts,
known as yellow dog contracts"
10. We shall show that officials
and leaders of the miners organiza-
ton did not incite or encourage the
threatened or attempted armed inya-
sions of the anti-union section, but on
the contrary used their best efforts
to prevent such demonstrations. to
persuade the miners to return to their
homes and to render effective the
program Of the Federal authorities.
Open Shop Sham.
I'll. We shall show that the opera
tors are waglng a bitter, last ditch
fight for the closed non union shop,
whereas they represent falsely to the
public that they contend only for an
open shop.
"12. We shall show that this closed
non-union shop policy Of the United
States Steel Corporation and closely
affiliated great financial interests
which control by far the larger part
of the unorganized coal fields Of West
Virginia, and that this. is a. part of
the co-called open shop movement
on a nationwide scale ipaugurated
shortly after the armistice with Judge
Ebert H. Gary, the head of the United
States Steel Corporation. as its pro-
phet and leader.
"13. We shall show that the only
other section Of the United States in
which conditions in the coal min
Ing industry have even approximated
the conditions in West Virginia is in
the Birmingham region of Alabama,
where the dominant factor is the Ten
lessee Coal & Iron company, a sub
sidiary Of the United States Steel Cor
poration.
Pennsy In 1t Too.
III. We shall also point out that
on the railroads has been agrees
sively prosecuted by Gen. w. w. At
terbury, vice-president of the Penn
sylvania Railroad, and that the
control Of the Norfolk & Western
Railroad Is one of the dominant fac
tors also in the anti-union fight in
West Virginia.
"15. We shall show that the OPEN
shop or anti-union movement in
West Virginia and Alabama is unjust
flied and unjustifiable because eighty
per cent of the bituminous coal in
dustry in the United States as whole
Is organized, with recognition by the
operators of the United Mine Work.
ers Of America, land that the organ
! lied portion of the industry has pro-
! crossed to the mutual advantage and
satisfaction Of the operators and the
m NJ YIy3fh f4vv In
public welfare.
Must Punish Offenders.
ZIG. In conclusion, we shall show,
! by pointing to it's failures in the past,
that the establishment for the time
being of law and order under military
authority is not q solution of the
| West Virginia problem, and that to
Xix responsibility for lawlessness. that
has occurred and punish those who
have violated the law is but a step
in the right direction"
| In conclusion Mr.. Murray said:
There can never be more than an
armed truce until the autocracy. OF
the operators is broken. and, in the
light of history, it would seem that
the union is the most logical and will
be the most effective leader in this
1lght. In the meantime, there will
be some violence. Throughout his
tory where a people or a group OF
people have been arbitrarily de-
prived OF rights which they con-
ceived to be theirs. reaction has been
unavoidable. Violence cxn be pre-
vented only by removing the causes
OF violence. Industrial peace can
rest only upon industrial justice;
! Struggle Is Old.
That Is the explanation of, thu
struggle that has been going on in
west Virginia for more than twenty
years. 1t is a struggle as old a.
civilization itself; in fact, it is "a
struggle that has evolved modern
civilization and all that it mean.
\ POLITICALLY, economically and indus.
trially. 1t was through such 8
struggle that this republic was born
the fruition of mems ideals of poll.
tlcl democracy, and it is through such
a struggle that we have progressed 81
Tar toward realization of mems
Ideals OF industrial democracy. .H4ss4
The miners of West Virginia. have
been and are struggling for the fun.
damentals of industrial democracy
-