The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-01-06
US. MAYSETTLE
W. VIRGINIA WAR

Federal intervention to assure the
right of free speech and assembly
and to guarantee the right to organ
lie among the non-union miners in
the coal fields of southern Virginia
is predicted to be among the recon-
mendations soon to be made by the
special senate committee which has
been investigating the causes of the
warfare in that state, according to a
statement issued today by the
American Civil Liberties Union, 1873
West 18th St., New York City. The
statement follows:
can analysis of the hearings held
before the senate committee has just
been made by Roger N. Baldwin,
director of the Union. They show that
virtually all of the charges against
the operators by the miners have
been substantiated. They form
basis for federal action which is in
escapable.
"The miners first charge that men
are discharged and put out of their
homes for joining the United Mine
Workers. This right to organize in
a union constitutes the essential is
sue in all the West Virginia warfare.
Admissions made by the operators
witnesses both at the hearings in
Washington, and in Logan and Mingo
counties, West Virginia, before Sen
ator Kenyon and Shortridge of the
committed unqualifiedly prove this
charge.
"The miners next charge that
Baldwin-Felts detectives intimidate
them or work among them as spies
under guise of union members or
sympathetic friends in order to break
up the union and to encourage acts
of violence. The operators could not
break through the wall of evidence
built by the miners to prove this
charge. The confessions of one Bald
win-Felts detective, G. E. Lively, who
operated in Mingo county and other
coal fields through the United States
were revelation to the senate COM
mittee.
Senator Mcclellan was led to ex-
claim in the midst of Lively's testi-
mony: Il will say that it violates
every idea of right that l ever had.
l never would have believed that a
thing. like this would happen. and l
am not surprised that you are hav-
ing trouble down there in Mingo.'
1.-The miners also charge that the
sheriffs in Logan county, the great
est anti-union stronghold, are sub
sidized by the operators and work
for them against the miners. The
evidence to support this charge,
brought out chiefly by the Attorney
general of the state, E. T. England,
was so convincing as not even to
bring from the operators so much
as denial.
Behind the anti-union warfare,
the miners charged, is the controlling
influence of the U. S. Steel company,
which is the largest single operator
in West Virginia and the largest
owner of coal lands. Allied with it
is the Pennsylvania railroad, also no
torious for it's 'open-shop' activities.
The evidence to prove the charges
was not denied. Samuel Utermyer,
testifying before the committee, de-
scribed the manner in which the
Steel Corporation and the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad make their will felt
in this non-union field, by interlock-
ing directorates and coal land own
ership.
"The operators are committed to
a policy of armed warfare, the min
ers charge. They have no other So
luton of the issues at stake. we
decline to deal with the United Mine
Workers was the only answer given
the senate committee by the chair
man of the largest coal company in
Logan county and echoed by the 9TH
er spokesman for the coal interests.
'Murderers and anarchists were
the epithets hurled at the United
Mine Workers.
"The definite plan for a peaceful
solution offered by the miners does
not call for the recognition of the
United Mine Workers. The miners
ask only for guarantee by the fed
eral government of the constitutional
rights of free speech and free as
sembly, and the right to organize.
what exact form of federal in
tervention the Senate committee will
recommend is not known. The atti-
tude of the committee during the
hearings showed that it would be
something quite different from the
military aid which the government
has been rendering at great expense
in response to the repeated appeals
from the state"