[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 90 (Thursday, June 30, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7815-S7816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PRATT, WEST VIRGINIA

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a 
community in West Virginia that will be celebrating its 100th 
anniversary. On July 12, the residents of Pratt will celebrate their 
community's history and founding 100 years ago.
  Pratt is a small town in southern West Virginia on a soft bend in the 
Kanawha River, with a population of 551. Pratt has some of the 
qualities of a typical West Virginia coal camp--it is a small community 
with hardworking people and a solid value base. But what separates 
Pratt from most small coal towns is that it has been around longer and 
has played an integral role in the labor movement.
  Despite its small size, Pratt holds an important place in West 
Virginia's history. Originally named Clifton, then Dego, the town 
adopted the last name of Charles K. Pratt at the dawning of the 
twentieth century. Pratt's New York company owned timber and mineral 
rights in the area. The town was incorporated on June 4, 1905.
  Stately old homes are spread throughout the town, each adding to 
Pratt's rich history. The town's lone church, Old Kanawha Baptist, is 
recognized as the oldest functioning church in the Kanawha Valley. It 
celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1993. In the local cemetery, 
gravestones date back as far as 1835. Many of Pratt's residents can 
trace their ancestry to the town's pre-Civil War settlers.
  In 1984 the town's cemetery and residential neighborhood overlooking 
the Kanawha River were designated a historic district and placed on the 
National Register of Historic Places. The Mother Jones prison site 
received historic designation in 1992.
  The town of Pratt rose to national prominence during Wet Virginia's 
mine wars of 1912-1913. In 1912, United Mine Workers of America, UMWA, 
miners in nearby Paint Creek demanded wages equal to those of other 
area miners. They also insisted on the right to organize and an end to 
the practice of using mine guards. When operators rejected the wage 
increase, miners walked off the job, beginning one of the most violent 
strikes in the Nation's history.
  After the strike began, operators brought in mine guards to evict 
miners and their families from company houses. As the mine guards 
continued to intimidate workers, national labor leaders, including Mary 
Harris ``Mother'' Jones, arrived on the scene. A leader of the UMWA's 
efforts to organize the State, Jones was known for her

[[Page S7816]]

blistering verbal attacks on coal operators and politician. She 
criticized the poor working conditions, meager safety provisions, and 
long hours of the mines and called for change.
  In 1913, Jones was placed under house arrest in Pratt for inciting a 
riot and was held there for 85 days. When news of her imprisonment 
spread across the country, Congress was forced to investigate the 
matter.
  Although the settlement of the strike failed to answer the miners' 
main grievances, the Paint Creek strike produced a number of labor 
leaders who would play prominent roles in the years to come. Following 
the strike, the coalfields were relatively peaceful for 6 years.
  I ask the Senate to join me in congratulating Pratt, WV, and its 
residents on their first 100 years and in extending our best wishes for 
their next 100 years and beyond. We recognize Pratt's important 
contributions to the labor movement. Through its challenges and 
triumphs, Pratt has helped to move our Nation forward in labor 
relations, which is one of the many reasons this fine community 
deserves our recognition.
  Pratt has a rich past and a promising future.

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