Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-09-21
COAL COMMISSION
DEFENDS GuNMEN,
Is { ii A X e. L

BY International Labor News Service,
Washington, u. c., Sept. 2o.--At.
tacking the report Of the United
States Coal Commission on the viola.
tion of civil rights In the coal mining
industry As virtually defense al
rule by the coal operators gunmen,
the United Mine Workers have ISSUED
the following statement:
THE report of the United States
Coal Commission on The subject Of
violation of civil rights In the coal
mining industry reads very much like
a well-pfepared brief in behalf Of
the non-union bituminous coal op.
orators OF West Virginia and North
eastern Kentucky Those non-union
operators should Immediately hold a
meeting and give rising vote of
thanks 10 the Commission for that re-
port.
''ln the first place, the Commission
lacks but one hair of giving ap.
proval to the employment by these
non. union coal companies Of private
|sufmah guards, thugs and gunmen, In
'sssssee.swf the fact that these sissHef-
ADDE'S roam al will over the mountains
Of West Virginia and Kentucky with
,up, black Jack and shoot members of
the United Mine Workers Of Anne riea
who dare 10 suggest that the employ
ees Of these companies Join the union.
THE commission denounees union
organizers for daring To 20 into these
non.union fields and ask unorganized
men to join the union. In other
words, the report clearly attempts TO
place upon the United Mine Workers
of America the blame for what hap
pens In these non-union fields. Why
did not the Commission declare that
non-unioh coal companies have no
right under the law or the Constitu-
tion TO uSe force and coercion to pre-.
vent their men from voluntarily hs.
serting their right to affiliate with a
labor uni0nR
THE Commission knows very well
that the only reason the unorganized
miners of West Virginia have not
been organized long ago Is that these
private armed guards and punmen
are there for the purpose of seeing
TO it that he men do moi get an opp0r.
tunity 70 join the union And how
well and effectively they do their work
Is proved by the countless number OF
union organizers and members who
have been beaten, blackiacked and
even murdered by these private gun
men in order to keep the union from
obtaining a foothod in these non
union places.
The Commission devoted much
space TO telling Of crimes which 1t
says were committed by union min.
ers, but 1t did not even mention the
scores Of crimes Of company thugs
and gunner that were brought direct
ly to the attention Of the Commission
by he United Mine Workers Of
America.
1T does not eyne mention the case
where a hotel room occupied by two
union organizers was deliberately
blown up with dynamite and both
men so seriously injured that they
mad 10 spend time in a hospital. Ii
did not mention the case wherein
Jasper Metzger, "a union organizer
from Illinois, was so brutally beaten
BY non-union company gunmen IN
Kentucky that his injuries produced
paralysis that finally resulted in his
death. This case was brought 70 the
attention Of the Commission. but ii
was ignored in its report.
These are but two Of the many
eases that were laid before the Com
mission. but they show the character
Of the activities Of the private gun
men for whom the report is practi-
cally an apology. Surely, no clear
thinking American can expect union
miners to remain in a state Of even
tempered sweetness and perfect tran
guilty Of mind when they are sub.
iected 10 such brutalities.
Zone Of the very significant state
ments in the report says that the
United Mine Workers o. America
nave paid more than $400, 900 in
damages for the destruction Of the
Willis Branch Coal Company's mines.
The United Mine Workers Of 4 meri-
ca never paid any such sum for dam
ages for the destruction cf the mines
Of the Willis Branch Coal Company
of any ether company. " the Com
missions fund II information upon
which it based its conclusions is not
more authentic on other points thar
I # is GA thi- ore the report is not oi
much value from the standpoint oil
I facts and the public is not going Il
ge, value received for the 5000 600 o.
4 tie people, money which the Com
mission has spent