Hellraisers Journal: West Virginia Miners Declare They Will March on Logan County to Help Their Brothers Organize

Quote Mother Jones, Kaisers here at home, Peoria IL Apr 6, 1919 ———-

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday September 7, 1919
4,000 Armed Miners Gather Near Marmet to March on Logan County

From the The West Virginian of September 6, 1919:

(By Associated Press)

CHARLESTON, Sept. 6-According to information received from a local operator who refused to be quoted the coal operators of the Guyan field yesterday unloaded a car load of machine guns at different places in Logan county as a means of preparation to meet the hosts of invading miners from the Kanawha and Coal river fields.

The five hundred armed miners who left Oak Grove this morning on the march across the hills to Coal river with the Guyan field of Logan county their object was to be joined at Racine and Little Coal River by about 3,000 more armed men according to information received here by coal operators.

The additional armed forces were said to be assembled at Racine and on Little Coal river early this forenoon awaiting the crowd from Oak Grove.

W. M. Petry, vice president of District No. 17 United Mine Workers of America said there were 4,000 armed miners on the march this morning to the Guyan fields, but disclosed no information regarding their whereabouts at that time.

Petry said the men absolutely refused to listen to the appeal of Governor Cornwell and the orders of the union officials. They refused to listen to any of us, Mr. Petry said and declared their intention of marching into Logan county to help their brothers organize.

Asked if he thought there would be serious trouble in the Guyan field when the 4,000 armed men arrived vice president Petry said there would be trouble if their demands were not granted. He estimated that they would be joined by 25,000 more men when they arrived in Logan county.

The march toward the Logan fields followed a big demonstration at Oak Grove near Marmet on Cabin Creek last night in which nearly 5,000 miners, many of them armed, met for the purpose of completing plans to go into Logan county to force the acceptance of the operators there of the right of the employes to organize. The march went forward this morning despite the efforts of Governor Cornwell in a personal visit last night to the scene of the demonstration and of the mine workers officials who ordered the men back to work.

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CHARLESTON, W. Va., Sept. 6-Despite the efforts of Governor Cornwell who last night visited the scene of an assemblage of four or five thousand miners at Oak Grove and made a speech to them urging them to returns to their homes, five hundred of the men, all bearing arms, left Oak Grove at seven o’clock this morning and started on their march across the mountains to Coal river.

The men passed Hernshaw a few miles southwest of Marmet and were expected to arrive about eleven o’clock this morning at Racine, on Coal river. It was said at the governors office where a constant touch with the situation is being kept.

Governor Cornwell was informed this morning that practically all the mines in the Kanawha field were idle today, the cessation of work also spreading to Boomer and other districts since yesterday.

The situation at Oak Grove which seemed well in hand when the governor left at seven o’clock last night became serious again immediately after he had left, according to information brought to the executive later in the night.

He was called out of bed last night at one-thirty by a committee including President Frank Keeney, [of District 15] of the United Mine Workers who came to give him further information and asking for advice in regard to what should be done. Information from another source was that as soon as the governor’s car left the scene of the assemblage a number of radicals began making inciting speeches and these continued throughout the night.

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[Emphasis added.]