The New York herald., 1922-04-30
Wage Cuts and Short
Weighing Cause Of Many
Quitting Mines.
DRY LAW A BIG FACTOR
With SaloopS Gone, Men Are
Under CNrtrol- Charges
Of Violence.

This - ME serenth article of n
series BY THE NEW York HERALD
GRoiy<in0 she coal strike situation
end the outlook. The eighth arti-
ole tciH ap1csr to-morrotc.
Special Dispatch to THE NEW YoRK HERALD
GREENsBURc, Pa, April 29-No drama
In the soft coal strike? Look at West
moreland county on the war map
"Non-union" written across it. A
great infidel blotck, surrounded on
three sides-west, north and east-by
union fields. The United Mine Work
ers driving from north, east and west
and middle to get Westmoreland out
on strike and organize it. The opera
tors resisting with every ounce of
power and persuasion.
This, the second greatest soft coal
county in Pennsylvania, Westmore-
land, and Fayette, to the southwest
the Connellsville coke country-pro-
duce one-tEird Of the States bitumi-
nous and one-ninth of the countrys
Westmoreland always has been nom
union. If 1t goes on strike now it cuts
tremendously into the supply from
non-union fields, which is depended
upon to keep the furnaces of the ma
ton roaring until the union fields
surrender.
Frank Hughes, international organizer
Of the United Mine Workers, sits at the
telephone in a single room office in
tile Barclay Building, Greensburg. with
bis assistant, Mike Nelson. running the
campaign which ne hopes Will pull 20.-
0o9 men out and shut every mine in
Westmoreland. From his outposts tin
gle good reports and bad. Another mine
down" here, an obdurate bunch of m an
sticking to the bosses and scoffing at
iunionism over there: hurried summons
for an organizer to be sent to the La
trobe field to bolster UP a group that
is wavering complaint that the State
constabulary have ridden off with a
union convert and no one can find out
where they took him, and personal
visit from three miners from the hills
who have been evicted from their homes
IN this case the boss organizer can do
nothing. for it's in the lease that mar
led men can be dispossessed seven days
snd single men one day after they leave
the company's employ, and that's what
striking means.
Boring From within.
Union missionaries fade out of Green's
burg before dawn to catch miners ad
plead with them on their wny to work.
Or they meet those already organized
in little halls owned by Slavonic or
Italian benefit societies and instruct
them how to carry the gospel to the
brethren who insist that they're better
off without a union. Meanwhile, in
the mine workings. in headings and
rooms miles from sunlight, boring from
within. whispering propaganda Is car
ried on by men who have worked in
union mines and perhaps were sent
over to the non-union country months
ago to undermine the faith Of the un-
organized man.
Strike says the whispering mes
scnger There are 100000 union men
with you. II the union is broken. you
&c down with us. II 1t wins, you go up
with lis. Strike -
But we did strike in 1870" says a
scotch pick miner, forty years at ths
coal. You said the same thing then.
and what did we get? Sixteen months
without work, that's what I got and
thcr they smashed U.S."
But that was because II was only
District SIS fight" counters the union
propagandist. That's why 1t was
smashed. But now all the union is out.
The brotherhoods are going to stop
handling non-union coal on the rail-
roads. Think of that. TIN put you ou
anyway, and II you've got to quit you
might as well be a union man and get
the advantage. Join the union, buddy ;
strike"
Thus goes the union campaign.
The operators meanwhile forge and
strengthen their defense. There is little
they can do except to keep reminding
their men that the earnings in nom
union mines until recently have been
higher than in union mines and that they
arc still higher than the scale laid dowr
by the union operators for April /. when
the strike began.
Little they can do, that Is, except to
keep union organizers from contact with
the men who are working. For this
purpose every non-union mine in the
county bristles with armed guards. The
companies own men, private detectives
and the coal and iron police--commis-
stoned by the State and paid by the
operators-are stationed along the roads
and on company property at every
vulnerable point An outsider, even
with pretty fair credentials. cannot get
near the mine or to any spot owned by
the operator.
Organizers have tried to run the
gantlet posing as patent medicine ped
dlers insurance agents. newspaper men
and even venders of cosmetics for the
miners wives. but the mine guards
belng men Of few words. II takes no
more than one or two to turn an in
vader back. In some parts of the State
the guards have blocked the public
highway The operators OF Westmore-
land deny having done this, and as the
union organizers have made no CONF
plaint II is safe to assume that the law
Is not being violated In this respect.
In many mining towns highway bloca-
ing would be unnecessary cnvway, for
the companies own the whole town and
the road leading TO II from the highway.
"spotters" Freely Used.
Miners faithful 20 the company are
freely used in the detection OF any en-
ployee who talks strike or indicates
sympathy with the union. Such Offend
!, ers, reported by spoilers, are summari.y
fired. No meeting for any purpose
which might result In pro-strike agita.
tlon can be held In a hall owned by the
operators or elsewhere IN company
property. and In some towns the com
panles own or control all the halls
To report these facts Is to make no
unfair accusation against the operat, ,rs
they admit their TRUTH INDEED they de-