The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-07-13
THE MINERS ARE FOR AUSTIN.
Has Always Been Their Consistent
Friend-Started Movement To Drive
convicts Out of Coal Creek Thirty
Five Years Ago.

What does the independent, think
ing, union coal digger of the Second
Congressional District think of the
bold effort to deliver his vote to ]. Will
Taylor against Congressman Austin?
The miners union is a non-political
organization for the promotion of the
interests of the coal miners and their
families; 1t is not political football
to be kicked around in behalf of can
didate for any office. 1t is a great or
ganization that is devoted to the uplift
of miners and the causes of labor; it
is not an organization through which
any one may deliver the votes of the
miners to this or that candidate in
plain disregard of the record of the
man these leaders would fight, and re-
CARELESS of the character of man these
leaders would dictate should be
elected.
Congressman Austin has record
on the labor question. 1t is known that
he has always been the friend of the
miner. For thirty-five years he has
consistently stood by the miners of
this district. Sixteen years ago, on
May 10, 1902, when the terrible Frater-
vile mine explosion blotted out the
lives of 1874 brave men and boys at
Coal Creek, Congressman Austin, ten
years before he even became a candi-
date for Congress, raised in Knoxville,
for the relief Of the widows, mothers
and orphans of these splendid and
heroic dead the sum Of 100000 He
did this through the Chamber Of Com
merce Of the city of Knoxville, of
which he was a member, and was the
man who started the movement. Each
and every year since that time he has
sent a floral wreath to be placed upon
the graves of these men and boys.
Again, in 1912, when the Cross Noun
tain disaster at Briceville blotted out
the lives of "a men and boys, he again
came to the relief Of the widow and
the orphan, and contributed $1O0 to
the relief fund raised in their behalf.
And years before that Austin was
fighting the use of convicts in the mine
in competition with free labor, and
largely through his efforts this was
done away with.
There stands in Jellico today $7O,-
600 Federal building in which is the
only mine rescue station in the South;
and largely through his efforts have
the many mine rescue teams among
the miners been organized. 1t is an
inspiration to see the splendid prog
ress the miners have made since they
have taken up this work.
If anything more Is necessary to
complete his record as a friend of la
Dor, it may be said that the greatest of
all labor leaders in the country, Sam
del Gompers, President of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, endorses
Congressman Austin's record as a
friend of labor.
But Mr.. Taylor advances the argu-
ment that Austin is poor man, and
is not big taxpayer and therefore
should be defeated. Since Taylor
made this charge hundreds of poor
men have been heard to say that they
never knew before that 1t was a crime
to be poor.
But this brings on more talk AS a
matter of fact, Austin is taxpayer.
He paid last year 1869 in taxes. Then
the question arose, How much taxes
does Mr.. Taylor pay? And the further
question arose, How much should he
pay? Mr., Taylor's sworn tax schedule
was hunted up. 1t was in his own
handwriting, and was signed and
sworn to by him. In this schedule, in
which he sWore that he had listed and
turned in for taxation all his property,
Mr.. Taylor swore that he did not have
one dollar on deposit in any bank. And
he made this sworn statement shortly
after he had showed to as many
as five reputable men in the
city of Knoxville bank deposit
certificates on the City National
Bank Of Knoxville for fifteen thousand
dollars, and stated to these men that
he had on deposit in a LaFollette bank
the additional sum of ten thousand
dollars. The trap in which Mr.. Taylor
has been caught has got teeth in it.,
and, like other men who have been
caught in such traps, he put the teeth
in it. Taylor says in his signed pub
lished announcement for Congress, 81
have barely sufficient funds to meet
the legitimate expenses of the cam
paign, and | have not received, and
neither do | expect, contributions from
outside sources" Mr.. Taylor has
never made an income tax return. He
would have had to make such return
if he had ever earned any such sum
as $4,000. The big question of this
campaign, therefore, is, Where did you
get this twenty-five thousand dollars,
Mr.. Taylor. The answer is evident.
There is but one source from which
you could have gotten It. AS Chair
man of the State Republican Commit
tee in the campaign of 1915 you han
died and the committee handed over
$4,000, and, according to your own
statement, you have not received this
money from outside sources, you have
barely enough money to pay the ex-
penses Of the campaign, you have made