The Advocate and news., 1898-11-09
al Am Unable 20 Control Corporate
Greed, But Corporate Murder HAS
Got to Be Stopped In This
Country"

Gov. John r. Tanners speech at Muir
physbOro ILL.,, last week, at the most re-
markable meeting Of the campaign in
Illinois. The gathering was under the
auspices of the McKinley-Tanner club
Of Murphysboro. But Murphysboro Is
the center Of one Of the principal coal
mining districts of Illinois. 1t furnishes
the famous Big Muddy COAL Perhaps
1000 miners live in and around the thrift
ty city. These miners took advantage Of
the occasion to give the Governor evil
dence Of their opinion Of his course re-
specting the difficulties at Virden and
Pana. It has been a long time since Illi-
nois people took the horses out and
hauled with their own hands a man
whom they wanted to honor This Is
what the miners did at Murphysboro.
When the Governor changed cars at
Harrison Junction to go to MurphysbOro
there was a coach load of Republicans
and a delegation of the United Mine
Workers waiting for him. When he ar
rived at the depot he was greeted with
shrill cheers from 500 school children
who had trooped down to welcome him.
But the surprise came when the recep-
tlon committee led the way through a
surging crowd to a gayly decorated car
riage. Every part Of the vehicle was
covered with the national cOlors. When
the Governor had climbed in he looked
over the dashboard upon the strangest
motive power he had ever seen in front
of him. The horses had been removed.
Ropes had been attached to the double
trees and there were fifty bareheaded
miners waiting for the word to go. The
average coal miner is pretty independ-
ent individual. He doesn't crook the
pregnant hinges Of the knee on small in
ducement. The action at MurphysbOro
was the more extraordinary when the
character of the men engaged in it is con-
sidered. Members Of the Republican re-
Ception committee say they had no part
in this demonstration. The miners orig
mated the idea and carried 1t out.
The procession moved off through the
streets Of MurphysborO, band leading,
and the miners kept up continuous
cheering until the hotel was reached.
During the time that the Governor was
waiting for the afternoon meeting dele
cations arrived from the surrounding
towns and marched to the hotel with
music and banners. BY 2 o'clock Muir
physboro's streets were full of people.
The committee was sure that the attend
ance would have been twice as great II
the weather had not been inclement.
A dispatch to the Times-Herald from
Madison, ILL.,, last week, said:
II reiterate that l will not tolerate
this wholesale importation Of foreigners
into Illinois. And if hear that mob is
to be brought into this State, such as
was taken into Virden, care not on
what railroad it comes or for whom,
will meet it at the State line and shoot
it to pieces with Gatling guns"
So declared Governor Tanner in a
speech delivered before 1900 auditors
gathered at the Knights Of Pythias hall
in this city It was the concluding state
ment in an address largely devoted to
defense of his course in the recent mine
riots at Virden. The Governor reviewed
at great length the causes leading up to
the rioting. He held the operators to be
at fault in their dealings with the strik-
ers, and then, reverting to his acts when
the crisis came, said: when the United
States government found 1t necessary
and deemed 1t just to forbid the importa-
tion Of foreign labor into this country,
l felt that l was fully justified in the
course | took at Virden. That trouble
never would have occurred If the ne
groes had not been brought here to take
the places of white men. The importa-
tions were representatives Of the scum
Of the country. / do not propose to al
low the operators to bring these people
here, and took what 1 considered, and
still consider, the proper means to pre-
vent it"
Then followed his uncompromising
declaration that any train entering the
State under similar conditions in the
future would be met at the border and
shot to pieces with Gatling guns.