The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-10-08
MINERS UNION
CRITICISES
LEGION
Committee Report
Calling on Officials
to "Put Their House
in Order Adopted

Indianapolis. Oct. 2.-Although
refusing to condemn the American
Legion because Of alleged strike
breaking activities Of some OF It's
mem bers, the convention OF the
United Mine Workers Of America
today adopted a resolution commit
tee report calling on legion officials z
to put their house in order. Tne
action came after several delegates
had appealed vehemently for the
convention to go on record IN IN
qualified condemnation Of the le-
gion.
The committee report was among
those made on more than IG0 res
olutions sent TO ti,e conyert-2,2
consideration by local Calots
throughout the country and i.c-;7.--s
had been before the committee foZ: :
consideration sins. the opening %
the convention Most Of the res
olutions went into the discard a.-d
debate was permitted on cniy a.
few, with most Of the comment pe-
ing exacted by the legion reso- 8
luton.
Aside from the work on resol;.-
tons, the convention voted over
| whelmirg gly not 10 change the un-s
ions present system Of appointing.
organizers. Supporters OF an e1cc-
ton plan complained that the aao-
pointive system permitted officers
! to build up political machine,
but 10 evidence TO support this !.
charge was found by a committee
appointed at the 1913 conventIcn,s
| which held election Of organizers
was iulpracticable.
Among the resolutions aScpted
| were those favortcs iToraediaSs na-
tionalization Of coal mines and rail-
roads, the repeal Of the espionage
laws and amnesty for all political
prisoners" and self-determinatton
for Ireland.
The convention sidestepped tax
ing a stand on prohibition when the
issue was brought Up, = resolu-
tons favoring Eight wines a-:a beer.
No action was taken on the2o reso-
lutions, the committee advising
such course with statement
that the prohibition question ..is
purely social question" on which
each citizen has his own views.
Resolutions. regarded by dele
gates as manifesting radical ten
dencies, were rejected outright. The
idea Of ''one big union" Of workers,
the affliation Of the mine workers
with the international Council 6
| Trade and Industrial Unions to oe-
| velop working class solidarity, and
! the calling Of a conventics -:
American trade unions to form one.
organization having as its object
the abolition of capital and the es-
tablishment of workers industrial
republic in the United States were
lost Overwhelmingly without dis
! cusSion.
The committee report dealing
with the American Legion citec the
/ legion's constitution as proof tfsa.
the World War veterans organ
ization shall be a force Of law and
o.eIer," adding that acts OF indivld-
ual mem bers had justly brougi.l
condemnation on the legion, and
that the tyranny practiced by le-
gion members Though force is di-
rect violation Of the federal con-
stitution as well as their order
I'VE, therefore, call upon the
proper officials Of the American
Legion" said the report, Ito put
their household in order by adopt
ing some proper and effective pun
ishment for its members who vio-
late the constitution and weaken
the force Of the legion and tend to
bring IT into disgrace. The Ameri-
can Legion is organized for a good
purpose, but has been used for bad
I practice and being an infant organ
iza,ion, we feel it unwise at this
time to condemn or eulogize the
American Legion as an organization
until they can have the opportunity.
to put their house in order
John Wilkinson, Muskogee,
Okla, president of the miners
union in that district. IN urging Ia
rorabie action on the report Geclar-
! CO lil&l lItS H1iAI4SiS SOOA0 AtSS PN(Z
the legion "out OF business by
condemning it and he added:
If you want 10 see them put
their house i. order, get IN there
and help them put it right" This
statement came after some deie-
gates. who said they We're eX-ser-
vice men. had declared that they
would not join the legion because
they knew of its members acting
! against strikers
The resolution favoring imme-
diate naturalization Of the mines
asked that legislation be presented
In congress for the government ac-
Quiring title to the coal lands Of
the country and that in the oper-
alton Of the mines the miners have
equal representation in deciding
| working policies.
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