The Washington herald., 1921-07-15
CALLS MINE UNION
BAND OF ROBBERS"
IN SENATE HEARING
ooNrINuEp FROM PAGE ONE.

CONIlNUED FhoA fAGE ONb.
clared that many, mine workers ''are
definitely opposed to the union"
The real question at issue. ac-
cording to Vinson, is shall men be
forced to join the union. contrary
to their wishes? Shall mine own-
ers be denied the right TO employ
such men as desire to work for
them. and shall the right of indiv-
idual contract be preserved?'
Centradiets Senator. 2.
Referring to statement by Sena-
tor Johnson. of California, on the
floor of the Senate that a miner was
killed with his hands above his
head" Vinson declared that the man
was armed with high powered
ride and was firing at officers at the
time he was shot. II z
Neil Birkenshaw, ope ming the case
as counsel for the United Mine
Workers. asserted that a lockout on
May 20 forced 2,700 miners into idle
ness; that they had tried to settle
the trouble by arbitration and were
met with "gunmen who terrorized
the community" About 1900 per-
sons in all, including women and
children, he said. were evicted from
company houses in the Williamson
field. and are living in tents.
Birkenshaw said the governor of
West Virginia had refused to heed
an appeal by miners that he en-
force State laws designed to pre-
vent further disorders.
nnauinK GtafamentS
counsel for both sides presented
testimony to back up their claims.
vinson said a lot of gunmen from
Tennessee and Alabama were i'm
ported by the mine workers.
I'm going to insist you prove
that statement, about Tennessee
gunmen," said Senator Mckellar, of
Tennessee.
Fred Mooney. a union official, the
miners first witness, said West Vir-
ginia law prohibits discrimination
against miners, because they belong
to a union. In defiance Of this law.
he charged. the operators locked out
miners who joined the union while
at work. The law was further vio-
lated, he said, by employment by
the operators of imported detec-
tives. These detectives boasted, he
said. of their "arsons and their
shOotings."
The United Mine Workers refused
to premit -Hnionization of Mingo
County, Mooney said. while men
were on strike, and the organiza-
tion Of the union in 1920 was ac-
complished when all the men were
at work. The charge that the
miners imported gunmen lis almost
unworthy of an answer" Mooney
said.
Mooney said it would be proved
that the Mingo disorders and the
twenty-seven murders committed
there were the work of the same
gunmen who were employed in the
Paint Creek and Cabin Creek
troubles some years ago.
.Not n Closed shdb.r
+ A force drafted to keep order in
Mingo is a "rabble" under command
of Maj. Thomas P. Dairs, Mooney
said, and is composed of former
convicts, paroIed convicts, thugs
and gunmen."
Committee members seeking to
define the issue between the miners
whether the union refused to per-
iiiA " WI n NhN
mines.
I'VE have twice offered to let nom
union men work" said Mooney.
I'VE have at all times and are now
willing to agree that a man can
belong to a. union or not, as he
sees fit
Mooney said State laws requiring
coal to be weighed and the placing
of a check weighman on each tipple
have never been obeyed in the Will
iamson field. This started wran-
gle with the eight or tep operators
lawyers present. -
Senator Kenyon finally ended the
Joint debate by demanding that the
law be submitted so the committee
could Judge for itself what 1t pro-
vided.
Miner Tells Story.
Frank Ingram, Mingo miner, tes-