The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-11
DRASTIC EFFORTS
 ID PUT NEW LIFE
 IN MINERS STRIKE
Picketing Committees, Closer Organization and Other Fea- lures Provided for at
 Meeting Here Yesterday

- Workers of America, held in union tenn pie yesterday. resolution were adopted to the following ends:
 That suit be entered against the mill : tary officials guard in the mine field on the ground that they have trespassed on constitutional rights.
 1 Ina. the international officers be in dorsed for ordering the continuance If the strike in Alabama.
 That regular meetings of each local pc held twice a month.
 i That the women in each mining camp be organized.
 That each president of local union ap- point a picketing committee of 10 men for each 100 members, whose duty it shall be to do all in their power to prevent men going to work in the non union mines and induce those now at W orl to join the strike
 | That each local appoint committee of men and women on clothing, who shall ascertain the needs of the camp ip | this respect and report to Secretary Clemo.
 That each president of local appoint a committee of information who shall Keep | the international officers reliably in- | formed of acts of mine guards and the | like.
 1 That the president of each local shall name A committee to distribute circulars | and newspapers that are sent out to the mines from time to time bearing news about the strike and other data of inter est to the strikers.
 | The meeting was in secret sesion' There were 800 to TOO men present, pack | ing the hall to suffocation. Van Bitt- 1 ner. international representative, pre- ap1anatad from th1 assemblage from time to time. l At the close of the meeting Van Bitt- ner gave out the official report of tne action taken on various subjects in the form of resolutions, which are as foi- lows;
 TO PROSECUTE MILITARY l "Whereas, we believe that the orders o1 Gen. R. E. Steiner, commanding the military forces in the strike fields, are preventing us from holding meetings l thus abridging our right of assemolags land free speech, are unconstitutional; and, ... o,
 Whereas. we believe the action oi many of the subordinate officers or the military forces in dispensing meetings and preventing us from exercising our lawful rights are unconstitutional; there fore be it
 Resolved, that we, the officers of loca unions of District No. 20, in convention l assembled, instruct our representatives who are in charge of the strike to imme- diately go into the courts and enter SUI against the military officers who haV' l tresnassed on our constitutional rlghts'
 INDORSE HIGH OFFICIALS
 .Whereas. the Alabama Coal opera tors association is circulating III hi underhanded manner stories to the CT feet that the officers of the mine work- CTS organization are not conducting the affairs of the organization prop erly; and
 "Whereas, we know that Interna' tional President John L. Lewis, Inter
 national Vice President Philip Murray | and International Secretary y-Treasurei i William Green have been and are now doing everything they possibly can to
 win the strike of the Alabama miners l "Therefore be it resolved. That this l convention unanimously indorse the ac- ton of these officers in continuing the | strike in Alabama and in order 10 show | the coal operators we have confidence in our officers we recommend that they receive the unanimous vote of | every local union in Alabama on De- cember IA.
 REAFFIRM ALLEGIANCE
 "In consequence of this action oi the international executive board of
 
 ca in supporting the striking miners and their families in Alabama, the delegates in convention assembled consisting of the officers of every To- cal union in Alabama, do hereby re- 1 affirm our allegiance to the United Mine Workers of America and declare
 that the strike against the Alabama coal operators for the right to live as human beings will be continued until the coal operators give us the
 same wages and conditions of em ployment' as are enjoyed by the miners in other coal fields of the United States.
 "We hereby declare there shall be
 no faltering and every local union of- ficer here assembled pledges that he will not only do his part to continue
 the strike, but that everything will be done to carry on the battle with more vigor than ever before to the end that every man who is now working in the mines will stop work and join us in this terrific struggle.
 "In order that we might further as sist the representatives of the inter- national and district organizations in conducting the strike to a successful lronclusion we recommend the adoption of the following programme to be in- augurated in every local union und CT
 the Jurisdiction of the United Mine 1 WOfkeGS Of America Tn Ala aDama.
 This resolution contained a preamble quoting the recent announcement of the international board.
 SEMI-MONTHLY MEETINGS l I've declare that a meeting of the l local union officers in each mining | center be held twice a month. The time and place of such meeting to be decided upon by the field workers in l charge of the various strike fields. We are sure these meetings will do much toward organizing the miners forces 1 and will be of great educational value to the officers and members of the To- | cal unions
 TO ORGANIZE WOMEN
 "The local union officers are hereby in- structed to immediately organize the women in each local union. The meetings should be immediately held and the wives and daughters of the white miners or ganized in one body and the wives and daughters of the colored. miners in An- other. We are certain that a compact organization of the women who are af- fected by the strike will be of great value to our union. and will assist materially y in winning the strike.
 TO APPOINT TICKETS "The president of every local union in Alabama is hereby instructed to appoint a picketing committee, to be composed of 10 men for each 100 members of the loca