Evening star., 1921-08-26


situation for the War Department.
By the Associated Press.
MADISON, ". Va, August 26.-The
advance guard Of the marching min
ers on their way from Marmer to
Mingo as a protest against Gov. Nor
gan's martial law was turned back
by Charles F. Keeney. president of
district No. II. United Mine Workers
and Fred Mooney, secretary. after it
had passed through Madison shor,l.
after noon today.
The advance guard of the army Of
miners. who are marching from Mar
met to Mingo county, arrived here
about noon today. They pitched
camp 81 a hollow near n business
center and waited the coming OF the
said, was strung out along the road
between here and Peytona, where
the main body of the army had
stopped for dinner.
Marchers Press On.
The men. numbering some 200 or
300, had camped in a hollow her.
for dinner and then pressed on their
way toward the Logan county line;
keeney and Mooney. who left Charles
ton early today, with the avowed in
tention Of stopping the march. reached
Madison within half an hour after the
men left. After a brief conference with
county officials they hurried down the
road and overtaking the party induced
it to march back to Madison.
The men camped in the courthouse
yard and Kenney said he was arranging
for automobiles to take them to the
base ball grounds, where he expected
to address them.
and are not feeling very good about this
situation" said President Keeney. ''I
shall do all in my power to turn them
back, and just as soon as the rest of
I'll talk to them. 1t is no easy job.
Estimates 10000 Men.
81 never saw SO many men on the
march before. From Racine to Madi-
son this morning there must have
been 5000 or 10000 men. There are
about 1000 ex-servfce men among
them"
Secretary Mooney said: :It would
be suicide for the men to advance.
Gen. Bandholtz seems to command the
state. He summoned us-keeney and
meat o'clock this morning, and a
short time later we left Charleston to
stop the men,"
Mr. Keeney, commenting on the
march, said that he had heard no re-
ports of depredations by the men
along the route.
Troop movements in the middle
west, it was officially stated. were
only of routine consequence, having
been ordered some time ago as part
of the plan to bring the Army reor-
ganfzation down to 10000, which
necessitated a general redistribution
the country.
Departure of $50 soldiers from Co.
lumbus, Ohio, for Camp Sherman was
said to be a possible outgrowth of
movement from Columbus of troops
who had received their first training
at the barracks there and were be-
ing distributed to new organizations.
Many organizations OF the regular
establishment stationed in the middle
west have been reduced almost to
skeleton formations by reduction of
personnel and discharges from the
service, and these are being restored
to regular peace-time strength by re-
cruits from Columbus barracks and
other training centers.
Departmental officials said the only
orders they had issued with rela-
tion to the West Virginia situation
were those sent yesterday to Brig.
Corps area, with headquarters at Fort
BENJAMIN Harrison, Ind. They merely
directed the general to have troops
in readiness for immediate dispatch
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after Investigation that there was
actual need for them and that the
state was unable to restore order
without federal assistance.
Confer. with President.
officials said that Gen. Read prob
ably had ordered certain local move
ments of troops in his command in
order to have them In the state of
readiness authorized in the orders sent
TO him yesterday. In such event, il
was said. the movement would be
confined to the 5th Corps area and
exclusive Of the troubled areas of
West Virginia.
wright and Maj. Gen. Harboard. as
sistant chief of staff, conferred today
with President Harding. 1t Is UNDER
stood that they acquainted the Presi-
dent with the latest developments in
west Virginia and with the plans of
the War Department
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