Evening star., 1928-02-10
RAILROADS BLAMED
FOR MINE STRIKE
Union Leader Tells Senators
Lines Threatened to Boy
colt Fields.

BY the Associated Press.
Charges that the Pennsylvania, Bal.
timore e. Ohio and the New York Cen
trail Railroads had forced the bituminou:
operators to abrogate wage agreement:
with miners were made to the Senate
interstate commerce committee today BY
Phillip Murray. international VICE presi.
dent of the United Mine Workers ol
America.
Urging adoption OF the johnson reso.
luton for an inquiry into the bitumi-
nous fields OF Pennsylvania. West Vir-
ginia and Ohio. Murray said he could
produce evidence that the railroads
had threatened a boycott of the fields
II prices and wages were not cut.
Holds Wage Agreement Broken.
| Murray complained particularly OF
the Pittsburgh Coal Co, which he said
had rerS dated its wage agreement with
the miners. He said that r. b. Mellon
member of the board OF this company
| which was operating now with strike
breakers"
Opening the hearing before the SEN
ate interstate commerce committee on
| his resolution for an inquiry, Senator
johnson of California said he preferred
that the interstate committee, rather
| than a special body, make the investi-
cation.
Murray was the first witness, and
he said that President Coolidge, Sec
| retary Hoover and Secretary Davis OF
the Labor Department had intervened
In the former dispute between the
| miners and operators, and that out OF
Ia
ment Of 1924 was reached.
Since then" he said. the Penn
sylvania Railroad. the Baltimore &,
Ohio and the New York Central Rail-
roads have been conducting a cam
| paign for cheaper fuel and for the
destruction of the United Mine Work.
erS of America.
''These railroads consume 28 or 20
per cent OF the national consumption OF
soft coal With this tremendous pur-
chasing power the railroads have taken
undue advantage in the campaign to
break wages and coal prices
They worked on the operators hav-
ing agreements with the miners TO
break the agreements. The operators
have admitted TO us they would not
with US II the railroads had not forced
them"
Senator Sackett. Republican, Ken
lucky. announced he would oppose the
resolution II the amendment proposed
by Senator Reed Republican. Pennsyi-
vania, for an inquiry into freight-rate
prices was approved. Senator johnson
said that while he had agreed to accept
the amendment. he did not want TO
press 1t II 1t would endanger his reso-
luton.
Murray urged that the committee 70
into the coal fields.
THE Pittsburgh Coal Co. invited
their employees to come to work at
lower wages" he said This was re-
fused In six months they evicted
almost all OF the employees and there
| came in steady flow OF strikcbreakers
from the Southwest.
Charges Gunmen Were Imported.
"rhe company also imported a large
army OF professional gunmen. They
had the Governor OF Pennsylvania
legalize these coal and iron police. They
intimidated the miners"
They manhandled some OF the
women" prompted Senator Wheeler.
Democrat. Montana. They shot into
| the camp"
They did" continued Murray.
Iney often peat up strikers. Tnfy
offer no pretext or Justification. The
fields OF Pennsylvania have been poll
luted with an army Of 1000 OF these
| men. dressed In uniforms and armed
with machine guns and tear bombs
The government has been turned
| over to this private army"
These so-called police report TO no
authority except their companies"
asked Senator Wheeler.
That is right"