The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-08-19

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SON 81 theS strikes have al. been On
for two years IN 81 10 IN Nova
Scot the miners were out
twelve months In the I Somerset
field in 1903 a strike lasted one
and a half years. having been ex-
tended over two winters which
are usually characterized by great
pTivations and during which the
miners have always found 1t d1f-
ficult to live. Less than ten years
ago a strike in Ohio Kan six
months while in 1883 hard
Tough struggle was waged by the
miner in the Hooking valley
field, but the Ohio operators never
have been successful is debating
the miners.
wised Up in Striking
When the Northern West.
virginia coal miners went out on
a strike on April the striking
game was something new to them.
Many Of the miners were wiz 70
get into a strike to find oI what
it was like. Previous to the war
the Fairmont field operated on
non-union basis and nothing IKE
i q regional strike was experience =
j However, the first strike in the
region began on Noverber j, 1919,
but was on only two weeks The
miners were back in the pits %on
November IL, but the greater por-.
Jrpn did not respond until the
following day. This strike was OIL
ficially called, but John y Lewis;
then acting president of the I'M,
ed Mine Workers CT America, ana
he Officials were restrained ny,
an injunction issue dby Judge
Anderson on an order based on
showing set forth by G -.
Ames. assistant attorney general:
Ii was on the basis that a national
disaster was impending and on
the broad ruling that the govean-
ment had the right to enforce IFS
laws and protect its people from
calamiy.
At the beginning OF the strike,
the officials Of the United Mine
Workers OF America kept their
forces intact by a series OF mass
meetings. This. was pursued until
court injunctions were obtained
forbidding the miners to trespass
on company property.
Il Comparatively little disorder oc-
Cured in Northern West Virginia.
Two strikers were killed and sew
eral people beaten up, but consider
ing the scope Of the region, disord-
er was well suppressed. Quick ac-
ton on the part of county officials
soon put stop to miners marches
when they got beyond the point OF
peaceful assem- b1ages-
How the miners held out SO long
has been puzzle to many people.
Usually they were given six weeks,
| but they trebled it and some were
willing to go,longer. Many miners
were set for the strike and those
THAT had noSmoney3 saved managed
| to retain their last few months
|5pay. That It was driven back
home to the lminers the subject OF
economy is best dem onstrated by
the admission on the part of some
miners who amazed themselves on
how little one could live on and
then and there made resolutions
| to save goodly portion of their
wages in the future.
Usually the miner that had no
money stored away either obtained
work on the roads or somewhere
else. Juite Z few drifted into the
(non-union fields. while some work
ed pon-union in this region.
With limited relief, the miners
managed hold their own until
the arrival Of their gardens afte-
which they could manage to hold
on for an indefinite time.
Governmen Mt Big Factor.
Every effort to attain a truce by
| President John L. Lewis of the
United Mine Workers of America
with the operators in the central
! com petitive field met with failure.
Lewis managed to grip the miners
week after week by holding out
hope to them. This helped him
materially until government inter
yention. which came at a very I'M
fortunate time for the operators,
but very opportunely for the min
ers. EVENT if nothing resulted from
the conference it gave the miners
the assurance that the governm ent
was ready almost any time to step
in and force settlement. This
buoyed up the hopes of the miners.
| WithSthe Operators.
From the outset April i the ma
jority of the coal operators in
Northern West Virginia would have
signed up contract, but the min
ers' officials were without authori-
| ty to sign them up because 1t dld
not fit in with the policy of the
International organization at india
napolis.
Beginning April !, there were
number of coal companies that de-
cidec. to- work non-union. These.
with those that had been open
shop mines prior to April 4, num-
bered forty-eight on April l. Com
panies appeared to have success at
this mode OF cooperation and by the
end OF April there were 100 on that
basis in Northern West Virginia
On April 1 there were aeighty-six
cars Of non.union coal loaded and
y the end OF April the figure was
up to 223 cars. s. !.
l5@On May 1,E10S mines were at