Evening star., 1921-09-03
By the Associated Press.

l by AsBOciateu fresb.
| CHARLESTON, w. Va. September
s-Phillip Murray. international vice
| president of the United Mine Workers
of America. yeste rday gave out the fol-
lowing formal statement on the West
Virginia situation. as representing the
! views OF the mine workers union:
After making a survey Of the entire
situation in the disturbed sections of
West Virginia, I am forced to con-
clude that there Is but one solution
! to the whole question. and that Is COM
plete abolition of the mine guard and
Baldwin-Fe!ts system now in general
! use throughout the non-union coal
mining fields of this state.
Despite any statement that might
be made to the citizenry by the gov
ernor Of the state of West Virginia,
| evidences Of the brutality of the mine
| guards and Baldwfn-Felts agencies can
be found in the non-union territories
! Of West Virginia My personal judg-
| ment is that the presence of federal
troops in the disturbed sections Of the
state will result in immediate quiet
! being restored. The men engaged In
the present conflict against the gov
| ernor's misuse of power welcome with
open arms the coming of federal
! troops. They believe that their pres
ence in this field will at least assure
them. their wives and families, pro-
sect1on from assassination at the hands
Of this armed band of desperadoes.
Made Agreement With General.
1T is not generally understood, but
1 1t is nevertheless true, that on Au-
gust 26 these citizens engaged in the
present uprising against the Baldwin,
Felts and mine guards entered into
| an agreement with Gen. Bandholtz
and President Keeney to disperse
peaceably and return to their homes
with the distinct understanding that
| their lives would be protected whilst
following out the terms of the agree
ment.
1.-The miners in good faith did dis
perse and did. return to their homes
but not quite twenty-four hours after
they had returned to their homes an
armed band of men. consisting OF
members of the state constabufary
into the town Of Sharpless in the dead
of the night, when the men. women
and children of the community were
| in their beds, and when those armed
thugs had completed their nights
work they had killed two members OF
! and injured another two. They
| stealthily crept back to where they
came from, and despite the fact thai
the responsibility for the commission
| of this most reprehenstble crime wal
charged directly to the state. yet ul
until today. so far as l know. the
Governor Of the state Of West vir-
| ginia has not even interested him
self in this most deliberate Killing
which, 1t is alleged, members OF his
own state constabulary, committed or
\ August 27.
Says State In Outraged
1.-THE feelings of the citizenry OF
the entire state of West virginia
were completely outraged as result
of the crime which was committed in
Sharpless and resulted in complete
rehabilitation of not only the forces
which had returned to their homes
under the terms Of the original
agreement made with Gen. Bandholta
and President Keeney. but In addition
| lcys of Lens Creek. Little and Big
Coal Creek, hundreds of citizens from
practically every county In the state
to Join with the citizens of Sharpless
Blair and all of the other mining
towns in the neighborhood. in q figh,
system which is permitted TO Dc
practiced by the state authorities.
| 'aThe general impression that has
been created by the governor Is tina,
the movement of this armed band OF
men is confined to members OF the
Nothing could be further from the
truth. AS a matter of fact, from my
own personal observation OF the STU
| alton, I discovered that the men who
are on the firing lines. nghting fol
the abolition of the guard and BAD
Win-Felts system, consist OF miners
railroad men. merchants. doctors ano
ministers, and that almost every eie'
ment of the citizenship OF those com
munities and throughout the state !.
represented in the forces that are
fRhtina for the establishment of true
law and order in the ssate.
/. Men Adopt Slogan.
1.-THE slogan of the men on the