The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-31
MINE HEADS PLAY DEEDS OF UNION IN STATE STRIKE
Bituminous Operators Reply To Convict Lease ACcusa-
 ton By Changing Issue
WASHINGTON BURFAU1
 THE AGE-HERALD Washington. D. C.. ,JuIy 30

As If in reply to the request of the United Mine Workers of America that 1t investigate convict leasing in Alabama. the bituminous operators association today through it's at torneys, Henry l.. Stimson and Gold thwaite H. Door, filed with the United States coal commission a brief bitter ly assailing the union as 1t exsisted and operated in Alabama.
 Stress Is given to the report of former Governor Thomas E. Kilby, who investigated the cause of the strike of 1920 and found the miners at fault and to alleged sensational speeches by Van A. Bittner, an or gapizer and J. R. NKennamer, presi- dent of district number 20 during the prevalence of the last opan conflict.
 Yen pages are devoted to an all legged chronological list of dypamit- ings. assassinations, and other crimes of violence.
 .Rcign Of TerTor"
 Colonel Stmson and MT. Door charge the United Mine Workers or ganiZation with direct responsibility for the disturbances and further say that nothing in their brief exceeds the condemnation" of Governor Kill by who was chosen by both sides to ascertain and make public the truth
 
 coal fields Of Alabama during the 1920 strike are branded 6 reign of terror" and Governor Kilby Is quoted as finding the strike illegal and im- moral"
 The Alabama miners had no grey ance as to living conditions working hours or wages when the strike was called, according to quotations both from the citizens report and that of Governor Kilby, 1t IS alleged. De-. spite the intimidation and violenoe' used, the strike was failure never cnlisting the support of majority of the Alabama miners, ir is claimed.
 The brief then tells Of the com plete failure of the strike and the consequent abandonment by the United Mine Workers of America of their attempt to organize the Ala bama fields. or this withdrawal 1t says
 Ceased To Exist.
 AS a result of the failure of this strike and as result of the decision Of Governor Kilby, the United Mine Workers of America have since 1921, for all practical purposes, ceased to exist as an organization in the coal mining communities of Alabama, The operators have refused to recog- :nize their organization and their
 
 led in the state Of Alabama that in the great nationwide strike in 1929 when the United Mine Workers oi America put forth every effort to stop the production of coal in the en- tire country they made no attempt whatsoever to stop the production of coal Ill the state of Alabama.
 Instead, the independent miners of Alabama continued during the nation wide strike of 1922 when coal production in q great part of the country had been completely para lyzed by acts of the United Mine Workers of America to mine Ala bama coal and ship 1t to the public, apparently satisfied with their living hours of work and wages and by so dong helped to relieve the great need of the American public for coal during the shortage"
 o o O
 Not Many Members.
 The operators in their brief seek to show that the Alabama miners who are composed of approximately 70 per cent negroes and 30 per cent native American whites, at no time went over to the United Mine Work - CTS in great numbers, An investI- gation committee of leading Bir- citizens found that there
 tContinued on Page Two)