William Howard Taft

“ Stewart, the president, caned attention to a new field in Oklahoma which he said would be a great competitor of union coal fields, and that District No. 21 would be forced to call a strike to bring in to line certain operators in that section, and in the event that they did so the District would fight such a conflict to the bitter end regardless of cost. They also discussed a proposal to reduce the scale at the union mines at McCurtain, Okl., which Stewart advocated, in order that the McCurtain operators might be put on a proper competitive basis in interstate markets with other operators. ”

“ The plaintiffs are the Bache-Denman Coal Company and eight other corporations, in each of which the first named owns a controlling amount of stock. One of them is the Coronado Company, which gives the case its name. The corporations were correlated in organization and in the physical location of their mines. They had been operated for some years as a unit in the Prairie Creek Valley in Sebastian county, Ark. Immediately after the destruction of the property, the District Court in a proper proceeding appointed receivers for the mines, and they or their successors are also parties to this suit. ”

“ In our previous opinion we held that a trades union, organized as effectively as this United Mine Workers' organization was, might be held liable, and all its funds raised for the purpose of strikes might be levied upon to pay damages suffered through illegal methods in carrying them on ”

“ Meanwhile the water had been pumped out and the mining and shipping of coal were about to begin. A large force of union miners of the local unions and of District No. 21, and their sympathizers, armed themselves with rifles and other guns furnished and paid for by the District No. 21 Organization, and before day on July 17th began an attack upon the men whom Bache had brought together, and proceeded to destroy the property and equipment. ”

“ The guards, directed not to use their guns save to defend their own lives, were at the mercy of the union miners, who assaulted them, took their guns away, and injured a number of them. The employees deserted the mine which filled with water upon the stopping of the pumps. One of the crowd went up to the top of the coal tipple and planted a flag on which was the legend, 'This is a union man's country.' Mr. Bache obtained from the federal District Court an injunction against the union miners and others taking part in this lawless violence, including among them the president of No. ”

“ But when the intent of those unlawfully preventing the manufacture or production is shown to be to restrain or control the supply entering and moving in interstate commerce, or the price of it in interstate markets, their action is a direct violation of the Anti-Trust Act. ”

“ It came within the definition of a local strike in the constitutions of both the national and district organizations. The district organization made the preparations and paid the bills. It was sought on both trials to bring the International in by proving that the president of the national body, John P. White, was in Kansas City and heard of the trouble which had taken place on April 6 at Prairie Creek, and that he reported it to the International Board; and further that in May he made a long speech at a special convention of District No. ”

“ The plaintiffs contend that they have now supplied the links lacking at the first trial against each of the principal defendants.
The Bache-Denman mines lie near the west line of Arkansas, next to Oklahoma. In all the Arkansas mines, except a small one, union miners were engaged. The towns of the neighborhood-Hartford, Huntington, Midland, Frogtown, and others were peopled by them. District No. 21 was a regional organization of the United Mine Workers which included Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. Mr. ”

“ A. He said, 'Because if Bache coal, scab dug coal, got into the market it would only be a matter of time until every union operator in that country would have to close down his mine, or scab it, because the union operators could not meet Bache competition.'
'Q. Did he say anything more after that? A. Yes, sir.
'Q. What did he say? A. He said, 'When you go back to Hartford,' he said, 'I want you to tell the men that I have told you, but don't tell them I have told you.'
'Q. Did he say why not? A. Yes, sir; he said he did not want the National Organization mixed up in this case ”