———-
Hellraisers Journal – Friday August 20, 1920
Mingo County, West Virginia – District 17 Defends Sheriff Blankenship
From the United Mine Workers Journal of August 15, 1920:
-from page 7:
Pointed Letter Sent
to West Virginia Governor
The reconvened scale convention of District 17, which was held at Charleston, W. Va., July 15, 16 and 17, for the purpose of dealing with certain differentials, voted unanimously to send the following communication to Governor Cornwell, of that state:
Charleston, W. Va., July 19, 1920.
Hon. John J. Cornwell, Governor of West Virginia,
Charleston, W. Va.Dear Sir—In its issue of July 17, 1920, The Charleston Gazette carries copies of a telegram and letter alleged to have been sent by you to Sheriff Blankenship of Mingo county, West Virginia, relating to disorders along the Tug River in that county.
These letters do an injustice to our officials and membership by carrying the imputation that they have failed to co-operate with the civil authorities in the preservation of law and order. They also carry the inference that the officials of this district have appealed to the federal government for federal troops to be sent into Mingo county and other sections of this state. You must certainly know that neither of these imputations is true.
Sheriff Blankenship and the other peace officers of Mingo county will no doubt gladly testify to the fact that the officials of our district have at all times consulted and cooperated with him in an effort to protect the citizens of that county from the lawless gang of gunmen and thugs turned loose upon them by the coal operators, who have endeavored to supersede the civil authorities by the introduction of a private army of their own. In marked contrast to your attitude toward the lawless invasion of that county by private gunmen of the operators, Sheriff Blankenship and his deputies have attempted to uphold the law and to throw its protecting folds around the peaceful and law-abiding citizens of that section. In all of his efforts he has the earnest and whole-hearted support of our officials and membership.
There has never been a demand made by our officials for the importation of federal troops. We have, on several occasions, requested our officials to try to obtain an investigation by the federal government, and this solely for the reason that all appeals made to you for the restoration of constitutional rights in Logan, McDowell and other counties fell upon ears that were either deaf or tuned to interests other than those of the people of this state. We made these appeals to the federal government in the hope that it would protect those rights that seem to have no recognition in the executive chambers of the state house.
As clear proof that your mental processes run along the lines of private rather than public interest, we refer to your statement of the legal consequences of the introduction of federal troops. Martial law, save in the discredited view of your remote predecessor, Governor Glasscock, does not mean the “suspension of the civil courts and the civil law.” It does not mean that “everybody within the specified boundary is subject to military law and subject to trial by military courts.” Neither does it mean the arrest of every man who goes beyond the prescribed boundaries.
In making the above statements you are evidently trying to create a bogy out of the disgraceful incidents that marked the closing days of the administration of Governor Glasscock. As a lawyer you know that the proceedings of the drum-head court that brought this state into national contempt was unconstitutional and an outrage upon the citizens of this state. It might have met the views of all those who believe that this state should be made a slave pen by lawless operators, but it was condemned by a committee of the United States Senate and by the substantial bar of America.
You know that, if you so desire, you can call upon the federal and state troops to assist the civil authorities in the preservation of law and order. You know that you can call upon them to end the disgraceful situation in McDowell and Logan counties, where citizens are beaten, shot and run from their homes for asking the right to belong to a labor union. Knowing all these things, not a thing is done by you to protect these citizens of those counties.
The citizens of this country are wondering why you remain as silent as a sphinx when the humble workers of McDowell and Logan counties are assaulted, shot and maltreated by company gunmen, and you raise such a storm of indignation and anger against peaceful citizens when they attempt to protect themselves from such depredations.
Sir, you should easily end the reign of lawlessness in McDowell and Logan counties by demanding the protection of their citizens, but you can never do it by a silence that ill becomes one sworn to uphold the laws of West Virginia. We send you our assurance of heartiest support in your every effort to preserve law and order.
Yours truly,
FRED MOONEY,
Secretary of Convention.
The above resolution is concurred in
by all of the members of the committee.
JAS. KENNEDY, Chairman.
ED REID, Secretary.
Resolutions Committee.The following is a copy of a resolution adopted by the convention of the newly organized United Mine Workers of Subdistrict 2, District 17, held at Williamson, Mingo county:
Williamson, W. Va., June 24, 1920.
We, the delegates in convention assembled from the Williamson coalfields of Subdistrict No. 2 of District No. 17, hereby state that,
Whereas, An unusual true Americanism has been shown by the officials of Mingo county and the city officials of Williamson and Matewan in their efforts to enforce the laws of city, state and nation, and,
Whereas, These officials enforce the laws impartially for miners and coal operator alike, and in so doing, show themselves of the highest type of American and good citizens; therefore, be it
Resolved, That this convention heartily commend the said officials, and assure them of the fullest support and co-operation in maintaining peace and harmony and obedience to law in Mingo county; be it further
Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to each officer and a copy to U. M. W. of A. Journal.
J. E. BOGGS,
C. E. HARGO,
CHAS. KISER,
JACK FLETCHER,
J. C. COLES———-
[Photograph and emphasis added.]
-from page 14:
Further evidence of the rapid and substantial progress that is being made by the United Mine Workers of America in establishing the organization in Mingo county, West Virginia, is found in numerous letters that come to the Journal office every week. One of the letters was from Brother Ed Jude, recording secretary of one of the new locals at Sprigg, and along with the letter came a photograph of a group of members of the new local, which is reproduced above. It is easy to see in the faces of these men a determination to make the union a permanent fixture in that field. Brother Jude’s letter to the Journal was as follows:
Editor the Journal—The union is getting along fine on old Tug river and you union boys need not fear about us sticking to a finish. We came out to stay out until the job is finished, for the iron hand of oppression has ruled us long enough. A thug was killed last week on the Mingo county line. He had just driven two union men out of McDowell county, W. Va. The local unions are having some good meetings at Sprigg. They sure do show a fine union spirit. Everybody says that they are out to stay out until the U. M. W. of A. rules instead of the thug and the iron hand of the coal companies. We, here, are followers of Patrick Henry, whose immortal words, “Give me liberty, or give me death,” will go ringing through the history of the ages. Our people want no trouble, but the thugs can sure get it if nothing else will do them.
[Emphasis added.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOURCES
Quote Mingo Co Sprigg Local Sec E Jude re Gunthugs, UMWJ p14, Aug 15, 1920
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2hg5AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PT379
United Mine Workers Journal, Volume 31
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-Jan 1-Dec 15, 1920
Official Publication of the United Mine Workers of America
https://books.google.com/books?id=2hg5AQAAMAAJ
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012261589
UMWJ of Aug 15, 1920
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2hg5AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PT366
Letter to WV Governor from Fred Mooney
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2hg5AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PT372
Miners Organized at Sprigg WV
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2hg5AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PT379
IMAGE
UMW D17, Mooney Keeney, Lbtr p9, Aug 1920
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/culture/pubs/liberator/1920/08/v3n08-w29-aug-1920-liberator.pdf
See also:
Tag: Battle of Matewan
https://weneverforget.org/tag/battle-of-matewan/
Tag: Mingo County Coalfield Strike of 1920
https://weneverforget.org/tag/mingo-county-coalfield-strike-of-1920/
Note: Billy Blizzard was President of UMW District 17’s Subdistrict 2.
“When Miners March” was written by his son, William C. Blizzard.
Review from MR online:
https://mronline.org/2006/01/27/struggle-and-lose-struggle-and-win-a-review-of-when-miners-march/
When Miners March
-by William C. Blizzard
PM Press, 2010
https://books.google.com/books?id=dm37BgAAQBAJ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Which Side Are You On? – Hazel Dickens & Billy Bragg