The labor argus. [volume], June 13, 1907, Image 1

About The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915

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= Three Big Concerns V\
Serious Charge B
States Court
o ,ust Saturday indictments j
wt'ii ili ned by the United States 1
gram i iy in the Federal Court 1 I
t,,r i Miiithern district of West <
\ ;i _ i. against the Win. Kilter 1
I.an. Company, S. M. Wolfe :
the - iperintendnent of the listill t
plan:, f larvey Derue, the superin- c
ten-b i i of manufacturing, C. T.
I 'iim i. I .ace Stewart, Klias Hat- 1
liiTi and William Tolliver. anil \
I each are charged with holding I
I:ibutei> in a condition of peonage. 11
it hides lliis finding the jury re-11
turned another indictment contain- I
ing several counts against the same c
charging them with con- c
-i.iiio, to hold the laborers in a f
( ('.nil. tion of peonage. The latter I
huh. lent was by thejurytobea a
violation of section 5410 of the >
-tat of the United States, s
which section reads: "If two or r
m..n |. isonsconspire to commit an \
oil. H.-.C against the United States, -1
or t<. defraud Llie United States in t
in. ma oner or for any purpose, C
and "ae or more of such parties do f
am art to affect the object of the ^
on.-racy, all the parties to such 1
con-1 ;acy shall be liable to a pen- c
ait;, l not less than one thousand 1
doiiins and not more than ten
tin -and. and to iniprisoment not c
none than two years " There are U
cich: counts in the latter indict- c
incut. a
The indictment found charging ^
the employes of the company with
holding the men in a condition of '
peonage is based on section 5520 of
tin- statutes of the United States, ^
i* as follows: "livery person who "
lioids. arrests, returns or causes to ?
t he I . ,I. arrested or returned, or in
in auner aids in the arrest or ?
return of any person to a con- ^
Is : of peonage, shall be punish- ^
-.I i.\ a line of not less than one
tl.n ri.nno nor more than i?5,000, !l
or'.;, i in prison ment of not less than ''
ti\.- ,. ais?, or both." J'
i findings of tlio jury were not ^
n - ; rise to those who were ac- |
. iih with the ease. A large
I'll r nf witnesses were examined ^
mi ' effort was spared to get at
1: Hum of the whole affair, it
"ged that John F. Dorsey and v
li A. Crawford, two employes of j
''1 e inpany, were arrested and
iei ed to a condition of peonage (.
' Malien by tlie employes of the ^
n\ acting in the capacity of j
nds"'. Superintendent Wolfe
1 1 arged with having the laborers
i d and guarded to prevent j'
escape while tliey were in1
' ' i to the concern. William ^
uer, one of the indicted men j
- i in ployed as a "guard" by the
any, and O. T. Carson is the n
i inteudent who lias had charge
lie construction of a private j
loHd to the Hitter Company, j.
;i ii owns one of the best timber j.
' arts iii the state, while Lace
"" wart, another of tlie indicted ^
lives at Mortimer, N. C., and
been employed by the com- t
any only a short time. Hlias ,
a'lieliI. is a "deteotive" working *
that lield, and it is alleged that j j
afrested and returned one j
' "ivrtoa condition of peonage, , c
i it is also charged that he as- j
tailed the laborer wlleu he placed ^
iin under arrest.
I'he William Hitter Lumber j
' ui pany, which was also indicted j (
"ag with its employes, is one of A
" largest lumber concerns oper-j
atiug in West Virginia, and its 1
- lioial offices are located at]
' > >luml >us, Ohio, and they operate
;ii several counties in the southern I T
part of the state.
flie grand Jury on Monday returned
another batch of twentytwo
indictments, all for holding
workingmen in peonage. The M .
M. Kilter Lumber Company, of
M yoming county, which was in- t
dieted Saturday and whose ofiicers j c
and guards were jointly and sepa-j 1
rately indicted, were all indicted i (
again under the same section, INo. p
of the revised statutes. One j <
indictment against the Ilitter Lum- j t
ber company held 22 counts. An <
other joint indictment rgainst 8. 11
ED .?
PEONAGE.
h 11 Have to Answer
efore the United
in this City*
"TT"^ _ . "Z:
M. Wolfe, Harvey Demo, J. T. '
Carson, Lace Stewart, Elias ITatield
and William Tolliver contain- :
;d Id counts. Seperate indictments
vere -returned aerainst each of the
ibove men and all contained over
;hree counts, some as high as sev!I1.
The first indictment against the :
taleiglr Lumber company, which ,
vas absorbed by the Litter Lum- '
ier company January the first of '
lie present year, was returned
Honday. The grand jury made
ive indictments against former
mployes of the Raleigh Lumber
ompany. A joint charge with 1
ive counts was returned against '
Iarry Allen, former general man
.ger of the Raleigh Lumber compa- i
ly, William H. Houston, former
uperiuteiiclunt of rlie It. & S. W.
ail road, Charles II. ICrise and
.Villiain II. Cooper, employes.
Another joint indictment against
he above men and L. C. Lilly,
onstable, John Hatcher, attorney
or the lumber coinnan v. mul -T
V. Hunt, justice of the peace at
taleigli, was made beside separate
barges against Messrs. Allen,
vrise and Houston.
The Thacker Coal ami Coke ,
ompaiiy at Thacker, is also cliar;ed
with holding employes under a
ondition of peonage and they will '|
nswer to the nine indictments reurned
Monday under sections
52(! and 5540. Messrs. David C.
lowell and James Collins are at
resent at the head of the Thacker
Joal ?& Coke company and the in- j
ictmcnts were made against them ,
eparately and individually.
The Jtitler Dumber company has J
mployed the best legal talent in (
he state, and yesterday one of ,
heir attorneys, Mr. Thompson, of
luntington, asked the court that J
continuance be made, but Judge (
Celler announced that he would |
ot be able to pass upon any <iues- j
ion concerning the peonage inictments
against the Hitter Lum
er company :is it would be neces- t
ary to get another judge to sit in (
he cases, owing to his being a (
tockholder in the company.
Judge Keller announced that he
rrs greatly surprised when he (
earned that the grand jury was .
nvestigating the company and he j
elt that it would be cinbarrsussinEr .
o botli sides lor him to sit as judge
u the case.
The district attorney and his asistants
agreed with the attorneys
or the defendants that tlie motion
or a continuance should pass until
lie tenth of July, at which time
udge Dayton was expected to arive
in the city to hear motions
nade in other cases.
The government will work hard
or a conviction and will endeavor
o show that many of the foreign
iborei-s brought to this state from
he slums of New York City, where
hey are . gathered by "labor
gencies," are mistreated by the
'guards" and. others. Assistant
attorney General Chas, VT. Rusell,
will assist District Attorney
illiott Nortlieott and his assistant,
f. Delbert Hummel, in the proseution
of the cases in this state,
rhich promises to be bitterly con
cswu "V Hit' parties mtiiuieti.
SHERMAN BELL
WANTS TO FIGHT ,
?= (
(
)uel with Adjutant General Bulkely 1
M. Wells?More of the
Western Muddle.
1
As may well l>e imagined, says :
he Cleveland Citizen, the outbreak !;
>f former Adjutant-General Slier- |
nan 31. Bell, of Colorado lias; 1
sanscil a tremendous furore in the i
vestern country. Many of the <
apitalistie dailies have either en- ; j
:irely ignored Bell's sensational . I
sharges that Haywood will not re- i
;eive a square deal in the Idahoj <
I
trial, and that the Colorado militia |
had been leased to the mine-owners i
of Telluride and Cripple Creek to !
destroy the miners' union, or they
garbled Bell's statements and
shoved them into some corner of
the paper. Bell has reiterated his
charges and presents copies of the
agreements signed by the mineowners
and other evidence that
fully exposes the scoundrelly transactions.
1"urthcrmore, he oilers to
tight a duel with the present
Adjutant General Bulkeley M.
"Wells, who accused Bell of disorganizing
the militia and being
loose in his financial methods. The-j
Denver Post, Republican, the Boisep
Statesman and other mine-owners' j'
organs attempt to ridicule Bell into) '
silence and sneer at tlicir former '
great champion, while Wells is '
whining like a whipped spaniel, i *
declaring that he meant no harm, j had
nothing personal against Bell, \
that the latter is a tine soldier and i
his money matters were all right,.!
and so forth. The whole nasty
mess proves that the labor and j (
Socialist papers have charged for |:
several years, viz: that the militia 1 (
has become; simply bands of Iless- j
ians to be hired by the capitalists';
whenever they desire to oppress; ]
working people and enforce con- j
litions of slavery and misery. The ; t
jnd of the exposure is not yet.
THE TRADE UNION
The Early Effort of Printers
Great Union
ICvcry. other month the 1 )cpnrt- j c
inent ol'Commerce and Labor at 1
Washington issues a bulletin set- j i
ting forth in statistical form labor { 1
conditions throughout the country, t
nut also embracing special articles 1
>y agents of the department and f
loted economists. Bulk-tin No. 01, a
iss'tied in November, 11)00, had a >
lotable contribution from Mr. ]
Etlielbcrt Stewart, one of the 1
special agents of the Department of j i
Commerce and Labor captioned,'!
"A Documentary History of the 1
Early Organization of Printers." '
That a number of disconnected
typographical societies existed in i
various parts of the United States J
irior to the formation of the
luions as now constituted, while
lot perli'aps generally known, will
lot be new to students of the his
;ory of labor organizations.
"The references to these early J
organization are usually hazy,"
lays Mr Stewart, in the article re
erred to, "containing no more
hail a mere statement that they
jxistcd at certain dates, with no
evidence offered of the truth of
sven tlieso statements. In this v
irticle it is believed the first at- l
.vnipii in uiiiuc lu DO specilic 111 lilt' s
n formation presented about these j e
sirly organizations. In this re j |
spect, at least, llio article re pre- ; y
sents pioneer work in its iield, not j o
inly in the reproduction of docu- ' ^
nents, but in the resort to the \ j
Minute books of these societies, as s
i source of information about other t
iindred societies. Thus the trail- j
icription of circular letters from j
it her societies, upon the records of j 0
L.lie Columbia Society, or the Newj0
fork or I'hiladelpliia societies, has! |
furnished documentary proof |of j v
lie existence of many printers' j
jrganizations nowhere else referred n
io." ? it
Trade unions have been very 10
much in the public eye for the past1 p
live years. Few people have the
Liine, or perhaps the inclination, to t
jive study to the early growth of j?
the great trade anions of today, al- i t
though nearly every one will lje ; p
interested in a brief history of this j j
phenomenal Unbuilding, such as it s
furnished" in the bulletin of thejj
Department of Commerce and a
Labor referred to,- in connection I
with the International Typographical
Union^_ whose foundation rests
3ii the early effort of printers to
organize typographical unions and
typographical societies. It is f
shown that more than a hundred a
years the International Typograph- a
ical Union .was in the making, and s
that it has taken all of this time t
for this great trade Organization to t
reach its present strength and high n
standing in the public estimation. J
So well did the union printers .a
think of Mr. Stewart's researches, ii
md the resnltant article, that the y
officers of the International Typo- j p
graphical Union were instructed j v
by a convention to reprint the j t'
irticle in pamphlet form, and it j p
can now be obtained without ?c
How to Wipe Out Sweatshops.
There is just one method of wiping
out tiie sweatshops, and that is
to patronize the union label. Tho
mother who insists that our label
appear on the suit she buys for her
Little boy is doing her share towards
preventing the boy or some
other mother from being sentenced
to a life of unrequited toil in a foul
iweatshop, a tearless funeral and a
grave in tho potter's field. She is
helping to give honest employment
under fair conditions to an adult
man or woman and to drivo out
the awful evil of child labor. 1 f
ive could impress theso facts upon
the public mind with enough force
ivo would soon drive out tne sweat<horw
sittil bftvA nnf ' * ?
ichools instead of the mills and
tenement workshops?Might-Hour
iVdvocate.
New Woman Suffrage Association.
A State Woman Suffrage Assooiition
was recently organize<l in Iuliana
as a result of a meeting held
it Kokomo. The new society has
ibout 15 local clubs affiliated with
t, and, with a very strong official
joard. It was organized by l)r.
Francis Wooibs, organizer and Mrs.
Harriet Taylor Upton, treasurer of
he National American Woman
Suffrage Association.
IN THE MAKING
at Organization, and Their
ot Today.
:liarge by api>lication to James M.
jynch, president, or J. W. Brainvood,
secretary-treasurer, of the
nternational Typographical Union
ihc liead office of which is in the
Sewton Claypool Building, Indianil>olis,
Indiana. Keonomists cspecidly
will bo interested in this article
vliile all who" have taken even a
massing interest in the growth and
vork of the modern trade union
vill also gleam much information
"roth the facts gathered and colated
by the agent of the Departnent
of Commerce and Labor.
POMEROY
MINERS WIN
'radically Every Point is Conceded .
By the Operators?Is a
Great Victory.
The Pomeroy Bend minors' strike
liicli has been on since January
5, involving about 700 men, was ,
ettled last Saturday night at a
onferenco of the operators and ,
district President Cecil and State
lecretary Savage, of the miners
rganization. The miners' gained
iractically every point at issue,
'he union is recognized and the
eale for drivers and puliers, for \
he (iist time in the history of minng
in Pomeroy, is up to the scale
n ice, *2.00. For all other classes
f labor, where the prices is not
therwise stated, an advance of 7 '
>er cent, over the old price is proided.
The present strike has been the 1
lost determined ever prosecuted
here. Citizens are greatly elated
iver the settlement, as business has
teen paralyzed for months.
Too much credit cannot be given
!w? pflipi.ilc
? ??iiv cjiwifu LII? settleneat
as they have been untiring in
heir efforts and have overcome
;reat obstacles. The organization
s to be congratulated upon having
uch able and earnest workers in
ts ranks and such determined men
s compose the membership in the i
'omeroy Bend.
Your Best Friend.
The labor paper is''the best
rietul, Mr. Union Man, you have
nd'the sooner you realize the fact :
nd place your name on the sub- ;
cription list of some one of them, i:
he sooner you will demonstrate:
he fact that you are a union man, j1
ot only by words 'but by deeds, j
ilso subscribe for your labor paper
nd help it along for in most cases 1
t needs your assistance more than :
on are aware of and when making
lurchases.'patronize the merchant
ho advertises in it and mention ]
he fact you saw his ad in the labor! i
iaper. It will encourage him to j <
ontinue the good work.
MANY MEE]
WIL
In this District Under thi
Vice President
the IV
. For somo time past there has
l>ecn bail fooling between the 111011
and the company at Dorfee, which
has boon considerably irritates I by
sovornl of tlio company's sul>ordi
nato employes. On hist Thursday
Board Member Luke F. Luuham
repaired to the place and worked
up a meeting for Friday night
which was attended by all concerned
from the superintendent
down. ISlen on both sides made
talks and set forth their grievances
after which Sub-District President
Cairns inn<le an address in which
he went into details and explained
why they should all work in harmony
and pointed out and explained
the position of the Union
thoroughly. After his speech the
men all got together and their dif- j
ferences were settled in a satisfactory
manner all round. Superintendent
lirooks made a good talk
in which he gave the men some
valuable advice and stated that lawas
willing to do all he could to
keep peace and harmony among
all the employes and the company.
It was a great meeting and the ef
fects will serve to build up the local
at that place and install tho
union principle in the minds of the
men.
* * *
President .T. M. Craigo and Organizer
K rail man held a successful
meetings at lilack Betsy on last
Wednesday, McClanalian on Thursday
and ltaymond City on Friday.
The attendance at each place was
large and more interest was manifested
than there has boo* for so mi;
time in that section. The indications
are that these locals will build
right up ami be among the best in
the District in the future. The
men have begun to some thinking
for themselves which is bound to
result in much good for the cause.
*f* "f*
Local Union No. 11)50, located at
Union Mines, will run a stcamljoat
excursion from that place to V.'iulield
on next Sunday. The committee
who have the affair in
charge jiroinLse a delightful trip to
all who avail themselves of the opportunity.
Plenty of good music
and an abundance of refreshments
will be on the boat. The best of
order is guaranteed. The boat
will stop at all points on both sides
of the river as far down as Ciown
Ilill.
=f= * *
The National Board Members,
National Organizers and District
and Hub.District ollicials are very
busy at present and arc holding
meetings throughout the entire disIrifl,
nnrl ill 1 ?nom t/i Ko
in harmony and for the best interest
of the organization. The great
increase in membership during the
past month speaks well of their
efforts and it is to be hoped that
they will continue with the good
work.
-=? * *
The differences which have been
existing at Monarch between the
men and the company for some
time past were satisfactorily adjusted
last Thursday evening by
Secretary Morris and Sub-District
President Cairns. 'I'hey also addressed
the meeting of the local
Union. Now that the trouble is
settled it is expected that Monarch
will give a good account of herself
in the future.
* # *
National Vice President Tom L.
Lewis arrived in the city Tuesday,
and will spend some time in this
Geld. He has arranged a sei ies of
meetings and will address a number
of Local Unions throughout :
the Valley. His presence here
will result in much good, as there
Ls already much activity among
the men which is resulting in a
rapid increase of the membership.
v * *
Board Member Lanham was
present at the meeting of the Local I
it Barren creek last week, and addressed
the membership. This lo- i
al, while a new one, is doing Gne,
nNGS
L BE HELD
z Direction of National
Lewis During
IontL
ami tuo members arc taking 11 great
interest aiul turning out to the
meetings in largo numbers.
l{t jfC
?T. IT. Shank, of OungrifT, was
in the "city Saturday, lie was
here in connection with taking the
examination for deputy mine inspector.
lie says that work is
good 011 Brier creek and the men
are taking more interest in the organ
izatioii than evor before.
"THE PINKERTON
LABOR SPY!"
A Brief" Synopsis of the Contents
The Complete Exposure of the
Pinkerton Detectives.
It is an authoritative history, a
complete expose, for the lirst time,
oCtho secret workings of l'inkerton's
National Detective Agency,
and the relations of tlio Agency to
('apital and Labor. It shows that
the agency is a colossal spy bureau.
All the statements and charges
maue in tills book are fully warranted,
and are in every instanco
borne out by the facts.
'flic work of a number of Pinker-,
ton detectives or operatives is fully
described, the name- of the
operative and one or more
of his secret reports being given in
every ease where necessary.
A great light is shed 011 the Colorado
labor troubles which have
heretofore been shrouded in mystery.
TI10 work of the agency in the
iloyer-ITay wood-Petti bone case is
discussed, and the conclusion arrived
at shows very plainly that
while it is hardly possible that the
officers of the Western Federation
of Miners are implicated in the assassination
of ex-Governor Steuneubcrg
of Idaho, it is much more
than probable that the Pinkerton
agency is guilty of conspiracy to
hung the union leaders.
A financial statement proves that
if the Pinkerton detective agency
depended for success upon legitimate
detective work, they would
have to go out of business.
??rJ?ll<i Pinlforfrm
- ? " * '^1 ''17
will be given free of charge with
each paid up subscrption of one
year to The Lalwr Argus. Send in
your subscription at once before
the supply is exhausted.
Sinclair's Opinion.
"The Pinkerton Labor Spy" is
the most extraordinary exposure of
the machinery of industrial tyranny
that I have ever read in my life,
ft will do more than anything yet
published to awaken the American
people to the infamous crimes
against labor which have been committed
in Colorado, I appeal to
the Labor movement to place a
copy of this book in the hands of
every workingman in America.
upton hi nci,a i it.
Big Labor Convention.
The Minnesota State Federation
is in session this week and promises
to be one of the most, imnnrlsitif
gatherings of the organization ever
held. The largest number of delegates
in its history Of seventeen
years are in attendance. The
Federation has done a power of
good for the wage workers of
Minnesota in the .past few years
and under its present able leadership
will continue the good work
in the future.
Miner is Indicted.
The first indictment found under
the new mining law was returned
by the Marion county grand jury
the first of the week against Floyd
Scott, a miner employed by the
Fairmont Coal Company, on the
charge of using blackstrap oil in
his lamp in the Chiefton mines.
Vy