The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-04-12
.SENDPROTESTT0
. HARDINGAGA|NST
Miners ACTION
Operators Reiterate Statement
They Have Done Best to
Avert Strike

The Northern West Virginia Coal
Operators Association has protest
ed to President Harding against
the attempt made at a mass meet
ing held in Kingwood, Monday, to
befog the strike issue" IN this sec.
tlon.' The miners there adopted Il
series OF resolutions to be present.
ed to the President, in which It Is
claimed they absolutely ignored the
fact that every possible effort han
been made TO deal with them. The
substance OF their resolutions was
that they sought meeting with
the operators.
This strike or cessation Of opcr.
ations, or whatever the miners OF.
ficials choose to call their walk
out, is something beyond us entire.
ly," said George s. Bracket, secre.
tary OF the operators association.
I'VE have tried our level best to
find out what the strikers want.
They are not striking over wages,
hours. working conditions or any.
thing that we could adjust. They
simply refuse to meet US and are
using West Virginia as a pawn il
the game to chasttse the operators
of Ohio, Indiana, Western Pennsyl.
vania aud Illinois. Our mines arc
closed and our men are idling
merely because the miners leaders
cannot get an agreement from oper.
ators In states that have absolutely
nothing to do with US. Less than
6 per cent Of our coal competes
with coal from those states. and
our conditions are entirely d'ffer-'
ent. We have twice sought meet
iugs with our mems representatives
to explain this, but they refused TO
discuss the matter. Now they, at
the meeting In Kingwood, give the
impression that they want the pub.
l:c to forget their retusals."
The protest to the President TO-.
lows:
"This mornings issue Of the
Fairmont Times contains an ac-
count Of mass melting of the coal
miners of Preston County, West
Virginia, at Kingwood, which was
addressed by Samuel B. Mont
gomery. and ". NJ. Rowan, quoting
resolutions which were.to be sent
to, you. s.,
America have persistently endeav-
ored TO involve, the district COM
monty known as Northern West
Virginia, OF which Preston County
is part. in the controversy now
existing between the bituminous
coal miners and operators OF the
Central Competitive Field (Ohio.
Indiana, Illinois and Western
Pennsylvania.).
"The labor situation in North
ern West Virginia is distinctly
separate, and always has been,
The operators have made every
effort to effect an agreement COW
ering the working conditions and
wages in this field, and were met
on March 25 OF this year with a
fat refusal Of President Keeney
OF this district of the United Mine
Workers TO negotiate a scale.
"The miners who were repre-
sented at this mass meeting in
Kingwood. il they were miners OF
Preston County, have had every
opportunity to meet tho represen-
tatIves OF the operators and TO
meet in joint conference. sit down
at a table, in good faith thresh
out their differences and come to
an understanding
IL am enclosing herewith a copy
of the official statement of the
Northern West Virginia Coal OPP
orators Association, and call your
attention to the fact that the un-
dersigned appeared before the
House labor committee and made
protest similar to this. in addi-
tion 10 wiring Secretary Of Labor
Davis stating that we seriously
objected to being classed with the
Central Competitive Field in the
sweeping statements that the btu
mInous coal operators have re-
fused to meet the miners, and had
/ virtually locked out the miners"
Secretary