The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18
by sIEGTRIED d. wEyER.

bN 0hNNHl hhNab Ds W ~ kU
T. =. $. sta0 Correspondent.
tcopyrlshi. 1921. lby the Internatlona
News Seryice)
NEW YORK-The attemptc 4
March TO Mingo." which resulted IN
bloOdshed during recent weeks and
finally forced the government "a
send troops into the battle zone
was not the first mass action Jn th,
part % the union miners in West
Virginia. Twice before the lsttor
Z have moved In force to spre1d the
gospel OF the right to organize
which. they claimed, they cold nct
propagate by peaceful means be-
caise Of no coal operators guard
system.
The worst warfare ragged IN 1912
and 1914. which arose from the
union miners efforts to organlze
the Paint and Cabin Creek districts
OF Kauawha county. How compar-
atively mild was the recent fighting
may be judged from the ca Sunltieg
in that bloody struggle eight years
ago,
Nearly 700 men were Killed, of
whom about 500 were Baldwin
Felts detectives and 200 deputy
sheriffs and armed citizens ogpos-
ing uniOnism.
Since then the United Mine Work.
ofs OF America have made great
Roadway IN organizing the West Vir-
ginia coal fields, but the richest OF
all-that in the Logan county-ro-
mains TO this day a Thoroughly
open shop" II is the bulwark OF
the coal operators, defended, as
was seen recently, by an invincible
army OF a~nfi-union men, private
detectives, state troopers and armed
edscitiscns. 4 good many people
he hron puzzled by the supnnrt
Of supposedly "unfurnished" citi-
zens 10 the coal operators and by
the readiness OF hundreds OF inhab-
!,ants who, on the face Of things,
have no part in the controversy be-
tween miners and operators, to take
up arms n risk their lives In the
battle against the union men.
The answer Is simple: Those citi-
zens are, FOR the most part, in lines
OF trade or profession which are d.
rectly or indirectly dependent upon
the coal operators. In the forefront
OF this auxiliary army are traders
whose business has flourished for
years under the open-shop rule.
They dread the union as n spectre
that will deprive them OF their pros
perity. They dread, above all,
strikes, which, they fear. would par
alyze trade and industry in their
sections.
situation Pregnant With Trouble.
strikes, too. are the main bugaboo
OF the operators in their determined
last stand against unionism. 1t is
me old, old story: At present, with
workers unorganiZed. the operators
the dictators. with the union
triumphant In that richest OF Tia.
country's black diamond" field, the
employees would sooner or later be
in a position to turn the tables and
dictate to the employers.
That Is why the war has been
in these dispatches an Arma-
geddon between labor and capital.
il may he proper to state at this
That the purpose of these
articles Is not TO argue the right or
wrong Of either side. but merely to
~ down the fundamental facts and
10 CIV the background of the strug-
gle, which is destined, before it Is
settled, TO play an epoch-making
part in the social economic history
me United states, for the prcscat
upallOn ~ merely IN
armed truce.
The Coal Operators association.
10 a brief of many thousand
"o'ds submitted to the senate COM
mNiee now investigating the Mingo
troubles, set forth eight main points
W support of its own case.
Briefly summarized, they are:
FlFst-That to recognize the n
ION IN this coal field would put the
,oal Industry in this section at the
mercy OF It's competitive fields.
Second-rhat 1t has been repeat
saly demonstrated that mine work
rs when organized, frequently, for
imaginary cause. go out on strike.
nus lnterrupting the, output of coal
lhd thereby increasing the cost OF
Production,
Ihlrd-The production OF coal, II
VI miners are organized I'm one I'M
on Is put at the mercy Of the off,
.ers OF such union.
Fourth-Strikes cause the failure
y me producer to fulfil outstand-
ny contracts. resulting in direct
,Flfth-The United Mine Workers
y america Is not a corporation, a
'aItnershlp or a legally responsible