Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1921-02-16
INDUSTRIAL COURT
LAW IS CLASSED As
Unconstitutional
STATEMENT MADE ny PRESIDENT
TIIE NINE WORKERS. TNION
BEFORE COIRT.
.H0WAT ON THE STAND
Miners Are Being Tried on Charges
of Contempt: Judge VIII
Render Declsinn To-day.
u Report.

nv Anoeisi,d Press.
PITTSnrRG. Kansas. Feb l5.-Pre' I
sentntion Of testimony AT the hearing /
In district court Of Alexander r. lIuwnt. .
presidcnt ol the Kansas Mine Workers !
rnion. and five members of the union .
executive beard. charged with contempt 1
uf court In calling a strike. was com I
ploird late today. ana Judge Andrew
!. Currnn took the ease under advise.
ment. Judge Curran said hc would an
nouucr his decision tomorrow.
Contempt of court charges against
three officials of Crawford county
lorgil union. growing out uf alleged "f'
forts uf the men to I'm" two miners Tot
appealing grievances to the state court
NJ Industrial relations will d. heard to
morrow. and the belief prevailed Ia.
nouncc a joint decision.
The charges In both eases are based
/ upon alleged violations uf iniunciions
issued by Judge Curmn last year.
| Today's hearing was concluded with
he testimonies of iIowai. who occupied
]
gave his views on the Kansas industrial
courts and courts In general. IIowat as
serted the belief ,ha, the industrial
court law ~ unconstitutional.
Questioned lfy the defense. lfowat told
IN detail the reasons for calling the
strike. which brought out the men cm.
ploycd IN two shafts of the Mackic Coal
Company Ile snid u was called because
the company had refused to pay S925
hack wages alleged 10 h. duo a young
miner with a widowed mother The
wage controversy has eytcndod over n
ncrlod II three years. Il0wat testified,
and he came io the conclusion that the
only way To settle the dispute would he
20 cln ont the company's miners. Ac'
cordinrly. h" said. ho made strike
recommendation 20 the unions cNecu
tive hoird and the strike was voted.
Frank 5. Jackson. attorney for the In
mstrial court. then took up the ducs
ilonlng ui the witness. and asked "
he district hoird had considered that
he calling OF the strike was IN viola.
ton Of the injunction. and that |, might
J
bcrs. liowa, replied:
we considered only one thing. ard
that was We were out for Justice for
'his hoy and his widowed mother at
whatever cost. We did not believe that
Injunction granted by Judge Curran
meant that these miners had 10 be
rhllned 10 their iobs whether they
were paid or not We believe that the
Injunction was aimed only 90 prevent q
general tic.up ~ all the mines. such
~ took place last winter"
"D,d You consider that justice might
hr obtained without recourse To q
,iiikc3" he was asked
we are not obliged undcr our con.
tract to go to a court for jusiicc, and !,
has never been our practice to go 10 q
'our, for wage settlements
liuwat said that ~ his opinion, labor
IN general docs uo, go to the courts
or Justice because they almost inrv'
mhly get the worst of the d'al," aud
'ho Kansas miners had not gone tn the
Industrial courts with their grievances
, because they believed the court was nn
unconstitutional body. and had no pow
r. to deal out iusiicr. lie emphasized
iis point that the miners were not vio
/, nilng their contract iu calling strike
indhc believed that there was no court
whose cnnstiiutionality would stand the
test ihlt could prevent what he terms
hc "d,alinr out of Justice
1t is not tho amount ut money In
eulyoi TINT W. nrc striking for h'
I Npltu.d w, Wouli r,l strike f"I
e A. quickly ns 81 Goo"
''Arc Won claiming the righ to violate
'h' law" be- wns asked
"No. We arr claiming the right 4,
. GgNt for Justice
I, "Yui say thlt von 30 not rrcogni2'
!, / tr industrial court h',aus" Nuu u"
. |i,,c it u d. unconstitutional Woul'
- ol,cy ~ orders " its constitutional
!, O. vcra upheld N tho supreme court
. 'sl,cd Mr.. Jackson.
n I viii meet thni when u comes
= ,ps lluWai's rrinincr
"Th" operators think thcv can hid
, ',chind tho industrial ruurt and iniunr
r. iors" hc Sid answering question
/, and wr caun't pun % strike without
II .ciiing IN. state un nur hack. 'uul'
u hardly ipllr,c ih,t IN fr-r America, ih'
'roat d'mocrp,v they would arrest NJ
n 'nr trying to prevent thr greedy one
r ators from ro'hnr widow"
y Friends of tho min" l,s,dcr IN IN
4 out room broke into dcmonsiri
tiun AZ that settlement. There was
H. clapning uf hands laughter and tappini
Il NJ boots on tho fl"or. The sheriff
threatened io clear the court room an
h Iluwat urged the crowd TO remain Quic'
y Asked n an injunction granted n
CONTINUED ON PAGE TYol