The Connecticut labor news., 1924-07-26
MINERS WIN FINAL DECISION OF COURT
 IN CORONADO CASE
Judge Kenyon Writes Opinion That Acquits U. M. w. of A.; Returns
 $1,OOO, ,OOO Bond.

The United Mine Workers of Amer ica have won their 1O-year legal con- test with the Coronado Coal company sought to recover $200,000 alleged damages growing out of a miners strike in 1914 Subsequent suits against the U. M. w. of A. in this controversy It came to be known as the Coronado case"
 This legal fight came to an end last week when the Eighth circuit court of Appeals at St. Louis rendered decis- ion affirming ruling of Federal Judge John C. Pollock of the United States district court in favor of the United Mine Workers, and follows closely the ruling of the United States Supreme Court when the case was before that body.
 The court of appeals decision was written by Judge William s. Kenyon, former United States senator from Iowa, and concurred i'll by Judges Wal ter H. Sanborn and Robert E. Lewis. It held that the coal companies had failed to establish basis for the suits under the Sherman antitrust law.
 Judge Kenyon held that nothing had transpired since the first trial and the decision of the Supreme Court to con stitute a new case and ''the law an nounced by the Supreme Court Is the law of this case, even granting the rec ord here is stronger than in the pre- vious trial"
 The decision sets forth this import ant point:
 We think the trial court was right when he said in summing up this case that the alleged conspiracy was for the purpose of unionizing the mines and preventing Bache (the owner) from working his mines non-union."
 The decision made 1t clear that a strike to enforce union recognition and working conditions could not be held within the Sherman antitrust law as a conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce.
 It further holds that coal mining Is not interstate commerce and does not fall within the jurisdiction of the inter state commerce sections of the anti trust law.
 The decision also overruled conten- tions of the coal companies that the United Mine Workers of America hac conspired to interfere with interstate commerce.
 The case had been renanded by the United States Supreme Court III l9A1 for new trial after a lower court had given a judgment to the Coronado company for $2O00O0 damages for al legged destruction of property by str1k- ing miners. This amount would be trebled, or run to $6O0,O00 under the Sherman antitrust law.
 In order to obtain an appeal the United Mine Workers were required to put up cash bonds to cover the SoOO,- GOO award and court cost ,apprON1mat- ing in all about $1 100000. Liberty DOnQS III I1l1S dHlOuHl "ClS uSpOo4tSN with the court, which will now be re- turned to the miners.
 When the case was before the Su- preme Court, Chief Justice Taft held, in an opinion written by him and con- cured in by a majority of the assocl- ate justices, that labor organizations, although unincorporated, may be pro- secuted under the Sherman act and may be held liable for damages as the result of strikes. He ruled, however, that in this case there was no evi- dence that officials of the organization had approved or ratified the acts com p1ained of.
 The chief justice also held that the mere interference with the mining Ot coal or a manufacturing process did not constitute interference with interstate commerce.