The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-12
GUNNER RULE IN
FORMER UNION ;;
FIELDS IN ". Val
Briar Creek Scabs Kept
Like Prisoners
By tom TIPPETT

OLCOII, w. Va, April IA
strike in West Virginia does not
mean merely remaining away from
work. 1t carries with it simultan-
eously an influx of gunner, eviction
notices, and general reign Of terror
in the camp. All Of which happened
at Olcott. This place is coal min
ing camp on Briar Creek just off
Big Coal river il Kanawha county,
owned by the Black Band Consoli-
dated Coal Co.
The Briar Greek strike has now
been on for two years. 1t began in
1922 in the national coal strikA
when the Black Band operators ap
piled the 1917 wage scale in theiA'
mines. The situation here is typical
of many isolated struggles in this
district. Out of THE original strik-
ers about 200 remain on the creek,
involving altogether nearly 1000
people counting the women and chill
dren, affected by the sJr;ke.
Company Offers 1917 Scale
This company would have been
willing to continue union recogni-
ton had the men accepted the 1917
wage scale. The 1917 rate was so
cents a ton for leaders and $3.50 for
daily labor. The wartime scale and
the one demanded by the miners and
being paid in other unionized sec
tons Of West Virginia is 81 day
and II cents a ton for cutting and
loading. This company is consid-
cred liberal because it gave the
strikers at one period 80 days TO.
tice to get out of company owned
houses and at all times the notices
allowed at least five days to move
instead of "a hours or less.
Evictions in January
An examination of the eviction pa
pers shows January as the time
chosen by this benevolent coal com
pany to give their erstwhile en-
ployes a last opportunity TO return
to the mines under the bosses terms
or vacate their houses. This kind
of moving does not mean into an
other house, but onto the road
where the company does not own
the land. All the houses in such a
camp are owned by the coal opera
tors for that very purpose.
January in West Virginia Is real
winter; 20 below zero is not uncom-
mon ON Briar Creek. When a coal
strike is called in this state q tent
colony appears Immediately in the
river bottoms or on some hillside
patch which poverty stricken farm
er gladly rents to the union. In winter
barracks are substituted for the can
vas homes as much as possible. And
so it is on Briar Creek.
This article is being written in such
a one-room home. The 1000 union
people making the fight have lived
in these barracks crudely and uncom-
fortably for the last two years with
escape very remote. They are sup
ported by District II, u. M. W. A.;
the strike benefits being $3.50 a week
for single men, $3.50 extra for a
wife and 80 cents for each child. This
buys coarse, wholesome food and they
do not suffer hunger. But there are
no clothes and nothing else. Very
ragged and barefoot women and chill
dren are not an exception but the
rule. None Of the many children go
to school because of their rags.
Workers Kept as Prisoners
Farther up the creek are the mines
where strike-breakers are at work,
except at one pit which the strikers
have successfully kept closed. The
1917 wage scale is supposed to be
paid but worker there told me that
the company pays whatever it
wants to" and always settles below
the 1917 figures. Wages are paid in
company money and the workers are
kept in the camp like prisoners. Es-
cape is 16 miles over the mountains
on one side or via the company own
ed private railroad to the Baltimore
& Ohio on the other. Thus the non
union men are kept in the valley In
slavery.
Police Nab Runaway Scabs
In the beginning of the strike 100
Negro families were brought in from
the southern plantations. 1t can be
said to their credit that all but 35
of these colaed families have es-
capped. A few days ago the strikers
assisted two Negro men down the
creek but later they were captured
and marched back past the barracks
To the mine by a detachment Of the
state mounted police.
In West Virginia there are three
organizations that do this and other
business just as pernicious for the
coal barons. They are the Baldwin
Felts detective agency, chartered and
operating in Logan, Mcdowell and
Mingo counties; the operators pri-
vate army of "watchmen" dsputized
by the state and paid for by the oper-
ators, and the regular state constab-
ulary mounted police). The func-
ton Of these three organizations is
identical.
Mounted Police Guard Mines
On Briar Greek, in the absence Of
the other two, the mounted police
serve the operators. walked Is
miles from Briar Creek over the pub
lie mountain trail april ~ and did
not meet or see sign Of a single {,
mounted policeman except at coal
mine. Their presence on the high
way with guns and cartridge belts in '
ClarinQ array was the unnistakable