Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1904 — ft REPUBLICAN LIE [ARTICLE]

ft REPUBLICAN LIE

Refuted by Testimony by President Landstreet of the Davie Coal and Coke Company. V Persons In the pay of ths Republican State Central Committee are going over the state circulating reports regarding the treatment by Henry G. Davis, Democratic candidate for the Vice Presidency, of his employes, and among other things It is being charged that he caused injunctions to be issued against the men employed by the Davis Coal and Coke Company. Chairman O’Brien of the Democratic State Central Committee recently wrote to Mr. Davis, calling attention to the reports and asking him for a statement. In reply the following correspondence, which is self-explanatory, was received: “Elkins, W. Va., Sept. 10, 1904. “Mr. F. S. Landstreet, 1 Broadway, New York City. “Dear Sir —The charge is being made against me in the state of Indiana, in which I am accused of having been a party to injunction proceedings, of the eviction of the miners from thfe houses of the Davis Coal and Coke Company, and of being generally hostile to labor. “I wrote a letter to Mr. I. V. Johnson of Roanoke, Va., in relation to my connection with labor questions,, which I thought would be sufficient answer to the charge against me of hostility to the miners employed by the Davis Coal and Coke Company, at the time when I was its president. “As you know all the facts I will be very much obliged if you will make me a statement in reply to this charge. “Very truly your 3, “H. G. DAVIS.” Landstreet’a Letter in Reply. “New Y'ork, Sept. 15, 1904. “Hon. H. G. Davis, Elkins, VV. Va. “Dear Senator—l am in receipt of your favor of the 10th. requesting a statement in connection with the charge made by certain interests of your hostility to the miners employed by the Davis Coal and Coke Company, and that you had been a party to the eviction of miners from the houses of the company, to injunction proceedings during -strike periods, and to the discharge of union men. “The facts are that during your term as president of the company no labor troubles occurred. The company only once during its existence evicted any men from its houses, and that was previous to your becoming its president. The only suggestion for injunction proceedings by the company was in 1892, and in that case the minor officials of the company, including myself, who was then generdl manager, urged that an injunction be obtained; but you refused to allow us to make application to the court, and the proceedings were dropped. The only discharge of union men by the company that has ever taken place was in the fall of 1903, fully a year after you had sold your interests in the property and retired as its president. and I had been elected as your successor. “Until my severance with my business relations with you a little more than two years ago, I had been associated with you in these corporate interests about twenty years, and during that entire period you always showed the greatest consideration and concern for the welfare of all the employes —wage earners and others—of the company. Not only is this true as to the employes themselves, but you have manifested your concern for the welfare of their families by establishing various relief associations, hospitals, schools, etc., for the protection of them. Very truly yours, “F. S. LANDSTREET. “President.”