Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-09-24
URGES UNION To
I ULF Ill CONTRACT
. IN KANSAS MINES
Speaker Is Served With In
Junction Immediately A.
ter Which Claims That
Group Breaks Pact.
tBy The Assocla ted press.l

1HuldudpollSi lHu., sept. 49,
delegates to the convention of the
sUnited Mine Workers of America
were called on today by President
John L. Lewis to take action in
two Kansas strike cases that he
said would declare the union holds
Its men to the fulfillment Of their
contracts with operators.
AS soon as he concluded a long,
inslstent plea for the conventions
declaration, Mr.. Lewis was served
with a federal court summons
showing that while he had been
! speaking the Border Land Coal
company, had sued for an injunc-
ton to restrain the union in its eff
+ forts to organize the Mingo county
(West Virginia) field. Then turn
ing again to the 1900 delegates,
Lewis explained the suit and adj
ded:
ut is rather a coincidence that
the company bases its plea on the
alleged fact that we are an unlaw--
full organization and do not fulfill
our contracts"
The statement brought dra-
matte close to the convention
: which had been the stage all day
for clashes between supporters of
President Lewis and the anti-ad-
ministration element, led first by
Frank Harrington of the Illinois
miners and later by Alexander
Howat of the Kansas miners. In
the first clash, the convention vot-
ed overwhelmingly for the adop-
ton of Lewis recommendation re-
curing the Illinois officials to give
an itemized accounting for $27,-
600 spent in an unauthorized strike
two years ago.
Out of this fight into another
was the conventions course, for it
then began consideration of Lewis
recommendation that Howat be Or
dered by the convention to carry
out the order of the international
officers directing Kansas strikers
to return to work. Howat, first to
address the convention, won pro-
tracted applause, and when Lewis
sought to reply he had some diff
ficulty at first, due to Interruptions
by some delegates.
In his speech, Howat accused SUI
perior officers of unjust actions,
asserting that President Lewis had
lined up with the operators in OPP
position to the men and that to
follow out the orders of the inter-
national officers would mean a
change in working conditions con-
trary to contracts with operators.
e Il will suffer to be kicked out of
office and out of this organiza-
tion," declared Howat, before l
Will agree to give away anything
of the Kansas miners"
Replying, Mr.. Lewis said he re-
sented the implication that he was
in sympathy with the operators,
and he declared that the Kansas
contracts provided for continued |
operation of the mines pending
settlement of disputes. The worst |
criticism of the union, he contin- |
ued, was that 1--WE are violators of |
the obligations of our contracts"
Whenever the time comes"
said Mr.. Lewis, that the United |
Mine Workers will not abide by !
their agreements, you will find no. |
body to deal with you in bust
ness way and the contracts will be
scraps of paper"
The international officers. he
said. insisted that the Kansas dis
putes be settled while operation of
the mines continued because the
contracts were guaranteed by the
international union and for the
convention to fail to sustain the
officers would lead the public to
say the union Is without honor
and it's officers are public falsi-
fiers."
A vote by the convention went
over until tomorrow, several dele
gates wishing to speak. A break in
the Kansas delegation was intimat-
ed by Lewis, who said some of
them may speak in opposition to
Howat's position.