The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-04-10
DAUGHERTY TO
DISMISS Mine
CASES, BELIEF
Attorney General Arrives III
Indianapolis Unannounced
Purpose of His Visit Not
Definitely Known.
INDICTMENTS PENDING
fBy Associated Press)

here from Washington today unan-
nounced was declared authoritatively
TO be considering the dismissal of in
d1ctments pending here in federal
court, which some operators have de-
clared made impossible any wage con-
ference that would end the coal
strike which began April l.
The Attorney Generals mission was
kept secret and he refused to state
It's purpose. declaring he could say
nothing until Investigation of the pu.'.
pose of my trip is complete and am
satisfied that my action is right"
Mr. Daugherty, it was learned. was
scheduled to have a conference during
the afternoon with Federal Judge A.
Il. Anderson, before whom is pending
the indictments charging 225 coal ope-
rators, union leaders and others with
violating the Sherman antitrust law.
by conspiracy to monopolize the coal
industry and control prices.
l.. Ert Slack, special government
prosecutor of the cases, also was to
meet with the attorney general, bur
he had no conference arranged at the
time of the attorney general arrived
here.
Purpose Not Known.
Other federal officials, also union
leaders, declared they did not know
the purpose of Mr. Daugherty's visit.
and the attorney general himself de
clined to make any statements regard
ing his plans.
The indictments which the attornev
general was said to be considering
hi Cffa Scir no !, af I,-
1919 soft coal strike, although the
cases were not brought until some
time after that labor disturbance
which involved 100000 union miners
Much of the governments case ap-
parently hinged on the wage confer
ence between miners and operators, il
being charged that the conspiracy
originated in 1898 when an interstate
wage scale covering western Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio. Indiana and ILLINOIS was
made by operators and miners.
Concessions given the miners il
wages and working conditions by the
operators, it was charged, We're on ac-
count of tacit agreement to monopo-
lize the coal markets for the opera
tors of the four states.
Anderson's Attitude
Judge Anderson's attitude toward
dismissing the indictments is not
known, but his past conduct was re-
garded as forecasting opposition TO
any such action.
Since the cases have been pending
! Judge Anderson once declared in
court that former Attorney General A.
Mitchell Palmer had tried ito ham
string the prosecution by directing
the omission of certain evidence.
At that time the court declared that
| the evidence would be used despite
whatever action might be assumed by
the department of justice.
| In an effort to break the 1919 strike
| the government obtained an order
! from Judge Anderson directing can
/ collation. of the strike order issued by
union leaders.
Charged Conspiracy
| This action, brought by Attorney
! General Palmer, was based on the
wartime food and fuel control law. bur
the governments complaint charged
| the union leaders with conspiracy TO
violate the Sherman law.
| After the strike settlements Judge
Anderson ordered grand jury inves
tigation of the alleged violation of the
| Sherman law, resulting in indictments
against 125 operators and union Off
T, cials, which was later supplemented
by similar indictments now pending ir
court
Practically the cases have been a.
standstill for some time, the oper
ators in states other than Indiana re
! sisting removal for trial in the cour
here. The removal proceedings art
yet unsettled and include cases In sew
eral federal courts.
| INDIANAPOLIS, April 10.-Fifty
thousand non-union bituminous Goa
miners in addition to almost half the
$4,000 workers in the anthracite in
dustry who are not members Of thu
United Mine Workers of America, are
participating in the general suspen
sion of work in the coal industry, &C
cording to the statement here toda,
of President John l.. Lewis, the min
ers' leader.
"The union men are standing firm
and we are gaining strength in non
union fields" declared Mr. Lewis
While no exact estimate was made o
the men participating in the suspen
!
statement that union officials re
garded their former estimate of 60o
900 as having been exceeded. it wa
said authoritatively that the uniol
, regarded $4,000 men as participant
in the walkout Mr. Lewis decline,
to apportion the distribution by state
; of the non-union strikers. further thal
, to say 100000 had been enlisted in Ger
, trail Pennsylvania and several thou:
+ and in West Virginia, these states bs
, ing those where the union centered a
tack on non-uion operators.
While numerous messages were n
6 ceived today by Mr. Lewis he sal
8 the only significant change was tina
!. progress was being made toward o,
!. ganizing the non-union miners.
CHARLESTOWN, w. Va, AprH 1
l-Mine union members and officer
were forbidden to interfere with fire
competition among men working i
the coal industry in West Virginia, an
tent colonies of strikers in Nina
| county were not to be maintained aftt
II 80 days. in temporary Injunction
sued by Judge George w. McClintoc