Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1921-12-09
Destitute Miners
TERRIBLE CONDITIONS EXISTING IN
WEST VIRGINIA TO-DAY
Starvation Used as Weapon to Force
Loyal Workers to FOrsake Union
and Accept Wage Reduction

indianapolis, Ind.-"Starvation is
the instrument that is being used by
coal operators in the New River field
Of West Virginia to torture the union
miners into submission to a wholesale
reduction in their wages and destruc-
ton Of the union," Lawrence Dwyer,
Of Beckley, w. Va, told the interna-
tional executive board Of the United
Mine Workers of America, meeting in
Indianapolis.
"People who live in other parts of
the country do not know the actual
conditions under which coal miners
and their families live in some parts
of West Virginia" Dwyer said. owe
have The finest soft coal in the world.
1t sells for a higher price than any
coal, and, usually, it has steady
market. But for year past there
has been little or no work in the
mines of the New River field Some
mines have not operated single day
in 1921. Others have been idle for
four, six or eight months We have
loyal lot of union miners in that
district, men who have fought hard for
years to sustain the union against
the interests that would kill it. The
union has helped them to improve
their working and living conditions
and to obtain better wages. But it is
apparent that the operators have de-
cided that they are going to destroy
the union in that district and reduce
the miners wages to the old-time low
level, which will not afford a living
for the miner and his family.
"These operators are taking advant-
age Of the terrible depression to carry
out this plan. Our men have been
out Of work so long that they have
used every cent that they had earned
and they are in debt as deeply as they
can go. Hundreds, | may say thou
sands, OF families Of coal miners are
without cent and without food. How
they exist God only knows. Company
stores have refused to supply them
with more food. There is no other
place for them to find employment.
This situation gives the operator his
opportunity. Coal companies, some of
the largest, richest and most power
ful in the country, are telling their
employees that if they will accept a
reduction Of 80 to so per cent in their
wages and withdraw from the union
they will give them some work, but
they do not promise steady work. With
their families actually starving, many
man is tempted to accept the offer.
"The manager of one coal company
that is attempting to starve its en-
ployes into acceptance of a wage re-
duction told the men recently that he
was acting solely in their behalf in
offering them work if they would take
lower wages and withdraw from the
union. He said he knew their families
were suffering for food and that he
wanted to do everything he could for
them. The next day a miner whose
family was without food went to the
store of that company and asked the
store manager to give him credit for
a small sack of flour, promising that
he would pay for it out of the first
money he earned when he got back to
work. But the store manager refused
to let him have the flour unless he
gave some kind of security for the
debt. All that the man had was the
few pieces of furniture in his house,
and the store manager told him to
bring dresser to the store and leave
it as security The miner went home,
and he and his son carried the dresser
to the store and left it as security for
the price of 12-pound sack of flour
This incident shows the extremity to
which the miners are reduced in the
New River districts, and it is this
condition that the coal companies are
utilizing to starve and beat the men
into submission.
IL say to you that it is the height
of cruelty for these coal companies to
enforce starvation of men, women and
children as a means of forcing wages
down to point where the men cannot
make living for their families"