The labor world., 1921-09-10
", VA, UPRISING
WASSTAR1EDb BY
RULE OF CUNMEN
Conpers Reveals Facts in Con-
neetion With Situation; Urges
Big Cleanup.
Continued from page ~

themselves with the UNION dI oAee'
Following this the miners flocked
into the union and as a result were
all discharged and served with evic-
ton notices.
The discomfort had become very
acute in the month Of April, 1920. BY
this time the Baldwin Felts detectives
appeared In Mattewan to evict tho
miners, their wives and children. At
this time practically ali the miners
had joined the union.
In the report of the last senatorial
investigation of which there is public
record, that of 1914, Senator Shields
in his section of the report refers to
the mine guards as "generally lawless
and desperate men,
''Inasmuch as the conditions then
under investigation exist today in an
intensified form, it is informing to
read from the repo.- of Senator Ken.
yon the following extract:
The Senate's Report.
1T is we'll to inquire as to the rea-
sons for such deplorable conditions.
Many things appear on the surfac
which might be deemed causes but
they are only surface indications of a
deeper trouble. A reading of the rec
ord will lead one to the belief that
there were many causes for the con-
ditions existing.
Among them might be related the
employment OF mine guards, high
prices charged the miners at company
stores, mine guards acting as deputy
sheriffs. post offices located in COM
pany stores, private roads to the
schools and stores no opportunity to
purchase | mes, cemeteries upon
company grounds, attempts to union
iZe the miners. alien ownership Of
large tracts Of land-in one instance
$1,000 acres. All of these various
things appearing in the testimony
might be cited as causes leading up
to the conditions which the committee
investigated. However, it is the opin-
ion of some of the committee that the
cause of all this trouble is deeper and
more fundamental. The basic cause is
the private ownership of great public
necessities such as coal; this coupled
with human greed, incident to such
ownership, has brought about the de-
plorable and un-American conditions
in the West Virginia coal fields under
investiga tion.'
The Rule of Gunmen.
I'm relation to the hired gunner
who have brought the administration
Of law in West Virginia to the point
Of absolute collapse and whose most
recent activities have been brutal and
laWless beyond description, Senator
MARITIME reported:
In no spirit Of malice or hatred,
but with a. view that the country.
through knowledge of the true condi-
tons, may right the wrong, I charge
that the hiring of armed bodies of men
by private mine owners and other COR
porations and the use of steel armored
trains, machine guns and bloodhounds
on defenseless men, women and chill
dren is but little way removed from
barbarism.'
Civil Law Broke Down.
IN 1914 senatorial committee found
complete breakdown of civil law in
depicting the lengths to which coal
mine autocracy was carried officially
reported that during the period of
martial law the court martial before
Whlch Offenders We're tried, deemed
Itself bound only by the orders Of the
commander in chief, the governor of
the state, and in no sense bound to
observe the Constitution of the United
States or the statutes of West Vir-
slnia relative to the trial and punish
ment of parties charged with crime
The senators found that during this
hlsh-handed reign the civil courts
were open and holding their regula r
terms. 1t also was found that the
court martial inflicted punishments
unknown to the statutes or in excess
OF the punishment provided for such
otfenses under the laws of the state"
Not to Print Report.
Ihe report of the most recent sen
atorlal committee has not been print
ed and l understand is not to be for
reasons OF which I am unaware, II
is a fact, however, that this recent
investigation strengthened the findings
OF the earlier Inquiries and sustains
every contention as to the conduct ot
the mine owners Of West Virginia and
thelr complete disregard for the Con-
stltutlon Of the United States and the
laws of their own state.
The truble in West Virginia, will
not be cured by forcing men into suh,
mission whil eallowing continuance NJ
the evils against which they have So
desperately protested. I join with ali
Americans in deprecating the violence
In that state, but while allowing the
deep, underlying plutocratic criminal.
1ty to continue uninterfered with and
unchecked.
Uncle Sans Opportunity.
THE United States government can
DO a great service by destroying sov.
ernment gunner, by restoring civi,
government uncorrupted by coal mine
autocracy and by giving to the miners
al opportunity to secure Justice and
to be free from persecution in en1ov.
ing their constitutional rights.
Unless the government does this
IL adds to the shameful record and
helps to perpetuate the era of crimc
and brutality"
Don't forget the more bitterly the
employer opposes labor unions. the
more the employe should sunnort
them. There's a financial reason,
Think it over.
mon 4ffAre ~