LABOR: War in Kentucky

An orange monoplane last week swooped down on the coal-mining district around Providence, Webster County, Ky. and dropped nine crude dynamite bombs. Five exploded, cast columns of rock and dirt in the air, did no other damage.†

Thus was called to national attention a virtual war which has been raging in Webster County since July 1. On that date, 75% of the county’s coalminers, all of whom had walked out April i protesting against a wage cut, demanding better working conditions (contrary to the advice of their union, United Mine Workers of America), returned to their jobs, starved & weary. The other 25% set about trying to resume the strike; 19 are under indictment for intimidation. Fort-night ago, several dynamite explosions boomed in plants of the Diamond Mine Co., Meador, Holt & Young Co. Then last week Providence cringed beneath its aerial attack. Next a trestle of the Illinois Central R. R. was dynamited; fire destroyed a $50,000 tipple in Providence Coal Co.’s No. 3 mine.

Last week no official action was taken to arbitrate the miners’ war. Governor Flem D. Sampson had refused troops to Webster County many times previously, was not last week asked. But State and Federal authorities acted quickly to apprehend Flyer Paul Montgomery of Murphysboro, Ill., who said he had been forced by death-threats to take a bomb-dropper over Providence. Said Clarence M. Young, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics: “The dropping of explosives or anything else from a plane in flight, deliberately with intention . . . or by negligence, is a crime.”

†Twice before have airplanes dropped illegal bombs in the U. S.: 1) during a coalstrike war in Logan County, W. Va. in 1921, when 6,000 non-unionists employed by mine owners dug trenches, mounted machine-guns, sent bombers over their 8,000 unionist foes; 2 ) in 1926, during the Herrin, Ill. Birger-Shelton rum-running feud.