Arizona republican., 1921-09-06
LEADERS IF MINE UNION FUR INDUSTRIAL
 WAR IN w. VA.
Operators Shift Responsi-
 bility For Logan County
 Invasion" To Shoulders Of United Mine Workers
IRepuhIican A. p. Leased WIre1

WASHINGTON. Sept. 5.-United Mine Workers officials were charged with responsibility for the invasion of Logan county and proposed inva- sion of Mingo county by armed min- ers,' in statement issued tonight by Harry Olmsted, chairman of the Operators association of the Will liamson field The statement was de- clared to be in answer to that of Samuel Gompers, which Mr. Olmsted described as hypocritical and in many instances false and misleading.
 Mine guards and private detectives are not employed by operators in the Williamson field, MT. Olmsted said, adding that Mir. Gompers had 'delib- erately misrepresented conditions" The charge of MT. Gompers that the uprising had been caused by the fail ure of the operators to put into effect the award of the government wage board was characterized as another falsehood.'
 '.The mine operators were under no obligations to do so," the statement said, they having no connection with the coal fields covered by that award.
 Denies Wage Dispute
 Nevertheless, the increases allowed by the United States government were adopted in this field promptly after the amount of increase had been fixed. It has never been alleged that the strike was due to wage adjust ments or any cause other than to compel recognition of the United Mine Workers organization.
 Coal is measured rather than weighed in this field. The men have never asked to have the system changed.
 MT. Gompers makes himself ridfc- ulous to West Virginians when he makes his plea about the miners pro- testing against lawlessness insofar, at least, as he refers to the United Mine Workers. The miners are gen orally law abiding. Every disorder that has occurred in the mining fields of West Virginia has been occasioned by the thugs and outlaws of the United Mine Workers organization who came to compel unionization of the fields
 ..The invasion of Logan county and the threatened invasion of Mingo county was threatened by the United Mine Workers organization in the | Williamson field as early as April and May, 1920.
 'In the counties of Logan and Mingo, West Virginia, and Pike coun- ty, Kentucky, having an aggregate area of 1633 square miles, there were not employed as many as 100 peace officers prior to the invasion by the organizers of the United Mine Work CTS. They were not needed.
 Not any of these peace officers were Baldwin -Felts employees. but in cluded only regularly chosen deputies sheriffs and constables and other of | ficers
 When the United Mine Workers Of America was formed in 1890 it was recognized as a lawful organization and continued as such until 1898 when they entered into a conspiracy with the central competitive field tc control the bituminous coal market or the United States.
 Since 1912 it has been the policy ot the United Mine Workers to compel py the use of force in. every conceiv- able way, all persons engaged in the mining industry to join the union. anC It mas likewise been it's policy to destroy all business of -non-unior operators, the end of which would mean the subjection of the coal in. dustry of the United States to sucI ] unjust and unlawful demands as i might desire to put into force" Visits Disturbed Areas