The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1924-02-15


are union miners and non-union min
ers on these boards. The miners
union has no more to do with the ap-
pointment of the membership of these
boards than the members of congress
have. The members of these boards
are appointed by the judges of the
court of common pleas of the COM
monwealth of Pennsylvania, and in
the anthracite coal fields where these
appointments are made the judges in
nearly every instance are creatures of
the railroads and the coal companies,
and they name the men who go on
these boards, not the miners union.
''These corporations do not hesi-
tate moment to spend two or three
hundred thousand dollars to elect one
of their attorneys as judge of the
court of common pleas in our local
ity; and it is men of that kind who
appoint these boards. The union has
nothing whatever to do with it, As
| say, there are many non-union men
on the boards appointed by these
judges.
Big Business interests to Blame
For High Cost
Declaring that sthe miners are not
responsible for the high cost of coal,
Mr.. Casey placed the blame directly
on the financial interests that control
the mines and railroads of the ma
ton. He said:
''The difficulty is not down in the
mine or with the miners or the min
ers' union. The difficulty is within
the confines of the financial district
of New York. That is where the
trouble is. They own the railroads;
the railroads, in violation of the de-
cisions Of the supreme court, and in
violation of the law, own the coal
mines. The coal operators, in turn,
organize sales agencies, and the sales
agencies, in turn, must pay tribute to
the transportation companies. 1t is
just wheel starting at the financial
district of New York and going all
the way around in circle and COM
ing back into New York again. The
miners have nothing to do with it."
Continuing, Mr.. Casey said:
"Now, gentlemen, / wish to take
up another statement made by the
gentleman from Massachusetts. He
speaks Of the conditions of the win
ter of 1929. The gentleman from
Massachusetts says:
"T wish to call the attention of
those representing sections not di-
rectly affected by the supply of an
thracite to the conditions confronting
us during the winter of 1929. The
situation in my district was typical
Of nearly all New England and was
almost appalling. Resumption of
mining had not been long enough
under way to replenish the absolutely
empty bins of the Dealers
Says Strike Caused No Scarcity
of Coal
"That statement is not true. Any
body who knows anything about the
anthracite coal fields knows that the
strike was settled in the early part
of September and the great strike of
1902 was not settled until the Goth
day of October But when the strike
was settled in 1902, on the 29th day
Of October, the New England states
never had any difficulty in getting
their winter supply of coal. Here
was a strike settled in 60 days earlier
than the 1902 strike, and still the
miners are charged with being re-
sponsible for the conditions found in
the winter of 1929. ! / am just
wondering perhaps l ought not to
say this--but am just wondering
if this charge made against the min
ers is for the purpose of taking the
responsibility of of those whom it
=