The Connecticut labor news., 1922-07-14
Terrorism Fails to Weaken
 Workers in Kentucky Mills
Union Smashing System of Rolling Company, Includes Army Tanks, Gunmen, and Shoot ing of Women.
By BEN I. DAVIS, Editor Amalgamated Journal.

(International Labor News Service.)
 Cincinnati, O., July I4.-The iron, steel and tin workers lockout at Newport, Kentucky, famous as the first place where army tanks we're used against trade unionistS, ranks in the labor movement with the Home stead strike when Pinkerton gunmen were first used.
 The Newport lockout is due to the attitude assumed by the Newport Rolling Mill Company towards it's employees. In two consecutive years prior to the lockout the Newport Rolling Mill Company had negotiated wage scales for all its departments and last year had agreed to do so in a conference at Atlantic City where the hot mill scales had been agreed to. Several industrial conferences were held with a view of effecting agreements, but for reasons known and without any explanation, the negotiations were broken off and the company declared for the non-union shop, socalled the "open shop" The Newport Rolling Mill Company broke its agreement and at once started campaign of terror in a peaceful community. The mill was barricaded, gunmen were imported, and under the pretense that the lock ed out men had fired at the mill the company thugs shot up the homes and business places adjacent to the mill and started a reign of terror. Mothers, with their children, were compelled to seek shelter in cellars for hours. This outrage was repeat ed time and again without the slight est justification.
 To place the onus on the workers the Newport Rolling Mill Company conducted a propaganda in the Gin cinnati Enquirer, and some other dailies, to make the public believe in was to repel an attack made upon it's property, in order to have a sem blance of justice to ask for an in junction to restrain the workers from picketing. Judge Cochrane, of the United States Federal Court, very speedily granted it. The restraining order stripped the locked out work CTS of all the rights granted citizens under the Constitution of our coun- try. It even went further than a re- cent decision of the Federal Supreme Court, (which allows one picket to keep watch at the mill gate.
 Not satisfied with such drastic in junction, the Newport Rolling Mill Company persuaded Kentucky State Governor Morrow to send the state militia to osNewport. The city was at once placed under military control and there followed reign of auto cratic regulations, the like of which has seldom been equalled, if ever, in the United States. The workers were not allowed to hold lodge meetings in Kentucky and were forced to trans fer their lodge meetings to Cincin- nati. The right of free speech was from the workers directly affected Even public officials were arrested if they expressed their opinions in a manner that was not pleasing to the military powers. Men not identified with the lockout were arrested and incarcerated within the mill barrl- cades on the slightest preteXt. The sworn statements of those so arrested were published in the press and are a matter of record. Pregnant moth CTS were handled roughly, old men were shot down as were those who did not understand English, because they did not move on fast enough to suit the guards. Girls of 10 years were forced and militia men were un- der indictment for the crime.
 In order to make the prosecution of the workers even more lntolerable, the Newport Rolling Mill Company incorporated under the corporation laws of the state of Delaware after it had revoked it's Kentucky state charter This enabled the Newport Rolling Mill Company to enjoy the advantage of the Federal Interstate Commerce regulations. This brought to their aid a United States marshal to exercise the power of the Federal Government to the full. The screws of oppression were frightened to the limit. The chairman of the Workers Central Committee is now under i've different bonds to keep the peace and numerous other leaders are "resting" under four, yet they have not done one unlawful act.
 In the face of all those awful prosecutions, the morale of the men affected is unbroken. They have sui fered those indignations for a whole year. They are standing, solid pha- lanx of union men. No better exhl- bition of unselhsh devotion to the principles of trade unionism has ever been given to the world. They are determined to carry the contest on for another year if need be, or until victory crowns their ,efforts.