Evening star., 1928-02-24
P|CTURESOF MISERY
REVEALED IN COAL
AREA TO SENATORS
Families of Strikers Live in
Barracks on Only Few DOL
lars Weekly.
NON-UNION WORKERS
MAKING SCANTY LIVING
Conditions Form Breeding Ground
- for Ultra Radicalism, Pas
tors Declare.
BY BEN McKELWAY,
staft rnrtrsm,n,ient of The STA


Stan Correspondent at The star
PITTSBURGH Pa. February PA
picture of soualid filth and misery. of
idleneSs and hopeless suffering. with a
background OF sinister and vindictlve
hate. is being unfolded here in the
bituminous coal fields around Pitts
bureh to members of subcommittee OF
the Senate interstate commerce COM
mittee. Senator Couzens OF Mlcnisan.
declining few days ago 10 go on TINS
tour. referred to it as circus. II
might be called a senatorial stunning
tr;p but it is no circus. one forgets
that there are such things anywhere
in the world as circuses when one goes.
with this subcommittee into the homes
of striking miners, who looks into the
faces of idle-always idle-groups OF
lounging men. who watches childIen
trying to play in black and Shiny mud
and refuse or who goes down into the
stuffy. darkened bunkhouseS. where
strikebreakers lie sleeping in their COAL
stained pit clothes.
Today's tour by the committee and
the one yesterday. which began tnls
perlpatetic trip through the coal helds.
may give a one-s!ded picture OF the
situation resulting from the walkou.. or
lockout. or whatever one chooses 70
call it, that began last April. For yes
terday and today the subcommittee
composed of Senator Gooding OF Ioano'
chairman: Senators Wheeler OF Mon
tana, Wagner Of New York and Pine
Of Oklahoma. Is In the hands OF union
officials Tomorrow there may be an
other side. for then the operators. II
they care to. viii be given an oppor-
tunity to show the Senators what the5
have to contend with in operating their
mines with non-union labor.
Investigation Is Remarkable.
In many ways this Is remark
able senatorial investigation. There
are no shining mahogany tables. oehino
which the inouisitors may sit and dig
out the facts from willing or unwilling
witnesses There are no committee
rooms, with cleaning chandeliers or
audiences composed Of curiosity
but highly genteel ladies and gentlemen.
In place of all the paraphernalia and the
ceremony usually accompanying a Sen
ate investigation there are six or seven
automobiles. speeding along a slippery,
wei fO20. 1ItE LUSa thO osS SS%ohA~o
by the four Senators and the Senate
oflcisls who accompany them The
others beag newspaper reporters one or
two union officials and covey OF
photographers.
The cavalcade reaches village that
souats unattractiyely al the foot OF a
barren hillside, close against high
mountains of mined coal. The houses
IN the village are all alike. two-s:ory
frame structures. hideous 10 look at:
With their windows and doors boarded
I'd Nearly all of them are vacant
But near them are other houses. built
G. unpainted board and OF that archi-
tecturai design usually followed BY
builders Of chicken houses. They are
one story high. about Is feet deep. ano
they rnay stretch for as long as city
block. These are the barracks erected
by the United Mine Workers TO mouse
the families of striking miners. ev!ctec
last December from the homes pro-
yided for them by the coal companies
and which now stand vacant. bearing
mo Trespassing" signs.
The automobiles plough through deep
mud as they turn out Of the road anc
come 70 stop Children. scores o!
them: mothers with children 10 tneiF
arms or tl2ging at their skirts, and Ioie
men appear from nowhere and swarm
tnickly about the visitors. II is not
every Gay that members OF the United
States Senate drop in for call. and
there is considerable excitement.
Senators Enter Houses.
Senator Gooding chooses 70 enter
tne quarters at one end OF the bar
racks His three committee members
go In with him. and behind them a
oozer. or so loStiing newspaper meh
and photographers crowd their way
This is the house Of Joe Gteck. Joe II
not al home, and neither is Mrs. SNck
rut fout of their eight children are
l,,ss finishing lunch The youngeS, IL
sbout 2. The oldest may be 7. They
have been drinking iuke@arrn cofet
and eating tread covered with Jelly.
A reporter asks Tor Mrs Snck. 81"
Is working Taking In washing. lie
asks what M.. Gteek Is doing.
oh, he % nothing He striking
The committee walks through Inc
feyaly roosnz. crowded with beds and
crlDs anc q heterogeneous array Of Co
naestic equipment, while he newspaper
reporters trail along and the camera
men set up their tripods and plead foi
Light One q! The Senators Is asked if
,al.e taken with the four rather startie.
youngsters. rs he does 81 the room Il
cleared and me party proceeds ~ AN
other home.
Mrs. William ElaDelI ASKS the intti'
Gers Ia pafcou The IlaeSs. ], Is wash day
Ste crise tirf hands q! SlapSudS ana eH
Dstrs ~ the Senators that during tnf
lsst week she has received Il haH~busnt
Of ,gJtafs)es from the NLl0n. but m
money o9metltnes she gets - Weeh
from the union I'm this she and hei
ililsjysnc c~~Yflo stands III tne background
holding q iG-nlenth old baby suffering
from ficke'E--anc their otner four chii'
6feD manage " >uDslst. Senator Waz
ner puts coiiaf bill ia the dirty hant
~ yowIlIg yolngstef and The c3n
alitJee leaves
Right Live in Two Rooms.
Charlie ssipinski and his wife I.y.
with their six children In b tWo-ro9u
section of the barracks He explains liz
worked rs . miner for the company foi
~ years, aDG ne points Out his fofnei
home 10 or 40 feet away. one vi tiis
two-stpy structures now boarded ~
and vacant Now he is striking and ilaI
NOTHING ~ %. He gets 80 week iron
t4e union.
mrs Scarf, who lives next dp,,. tell
tine f;fuatlirs Of how two stTiktLJeaksr
SI,tt al her feW days ago from In
railroad not ihf away. She breaks M
team ~ one Of t1e aensDOfE question
her end says she csnt sleep At nigh
for fear 1f getting shot. a hsfd -bl!s'
Pittsburgh newspaper reporter wtlspe'
lContiaued on Psge 4. Column Z,