Martinsburg journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1920-1977, 1922-07-26
BY }. BART CAMPBELL,
|. N, s. staff Correspondent.
ICnnurin,t 1000 ~ Al cA

udltOi VI the NHitN WI. " dS III
clared by Senator VIM. f. Borah
chairman Of the Senate labor com
mittee, today. to he the fundamen
tai underlying cause of the exist
ing coal and railroad situation.
Senator Borah recalled that he
had charged when he fought the
last army appropriations bill that
the real danger Of big military es-
tablishment was that capital had eX
pected to employ it against union
labor.
Justified BY Developments
Recent developments certainly
seem to Justify the view took Of a
large army then and which | still
hold now Borah declared.
cone reason big interests support
ed the presidential aspirations OF
General Leonard Wood in 1920, was
that they were confident if he were
elected to the White House, he
would place a battalion of soldiers
at the doorway of union labor
wherever and whenever those inter-
ests deemed the use of armed force
necessary to crush union labor"
Borah said he was deeply con.
(C1HHu ABOUT Tue luCdltuldulE Aol "
ship the continued deadlock was
bound to impose upon the great pab-
lie.
Wages Reduced.
CAPITAL started Immediately after
the war ended to deflate wages re-
CARELESS of living costs, Borah said.
"And yet no deflation in wages can
be justified as long as living condi-
kions remain as they are and living
conditions are certain TO continue as
they are unless there is a reduction
in living costs all along the line and
there can be no reduction in living
costs unless there is a spond-
ing reduction in present extravagant
expenditures and taxation. The
evil Of the industrial situation CON
fronting us is an economic one, and
its only solution is economy from
the top down and from the bottom
up
Borah said he believed national
ization" or government control of
the coal industry was inevitable and
that this belief led him to introduce
his bill for the creation Of a com
mission to delve into the coal situa-
IlOll LOl lllt lbSt I'll Stnlc' NJ
production Of coal is just as vital to
the welfare Of the people as IS trans
portation and it is imperative that
there should he government regula-
ton of the coal industry. Borah
said
He hoped to have his committee
act promptly on his bill and report
It fsvorably to the Senate so i;
might he passed at this session of
Congress.
Strike Avoided.
Il an Of the opinion that the
Strike could have been avoided If
the government had stepped in at
the outset and compelled operators
to live up to their contract with the
miners TO consider the wage ques.
ton within so days of the eXpira-
ton of the former scale
Harrisburg, Pa. July 26--The
Pennsylvania Federation OF Labor
had in the mails today a strong let
ter of protest against the course OF
action pursued by state and federal
authorities during the present coal
strike The letter over the sigma
ture of James II. Maurer, state pres
ident Of the federation and James A.
Kelley. secretary, is addressed to
state and national labor leaders, in
Guiding Samuel Gompers, president
of tho American Federation Of La
Dor
\ conference will be called in
Harrisburg, Wednesday. August 2,
at o'clock n consider action rel.
alive to candidates for public office,
who either condone such methods or
are Indifferent to them, will be out
lined"
The text of the letter follows;
"A situation has arisen which
threatens not only the life OF
organized labor, but the safety
of thousands of miners and rail-
; road msn ard their families in
this state. Without the request
of county c. municipal authorl
7 ties, state troops have been sent
into the hitun1nous coal fields.
Their presence can bring but
one result. That will be to
crezte the very strife which the
government has announced that
II seeks to prevent.
"The fact has uniformly been
commented upon that the nearly
four months strike of mine
workers and the four weeks
strike cf railroad men have been
practically v'ithout disorders OF
any kind The few Instances
where trcuhle taS originated
have heen edo"a, h. unpreju-
diced inquiries 20 have been in
s,irated by employers Of their
im2crted eunnsn.
at appears that the state and
federal authorities hope to &C.
coma'sh through the aid of the
military and arbitrary judicial
powers what the national manu-
facturero' association and the
chambers Of commerce failed TO
do viz: crr5, organized labor
and establish the closed shcp
against union men.
THE stage is being set TOR
repetion in an even more vici-
Gus form of the reign of terror,
replete with attacks upon men,
women and children, that char