The Connecticut labor news., 1922-07-07
CONCRESSMEN HEAR TRUE STORY
 OF HEREIN, ILL.,, MINE TRAGEDY BY
 ONE OF ITS CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS

ed with machine guns and rifles, were parading about the property of the company challenging and threatening all who approached; and finally, the killing of one of their number by one of the men in the mine, all so emblt- tered and enraged the miners that the more conservative ones who were trying to settle the situation in peaceable way seem to have lost con- them took the law into their own hands"
 Mr. Denison pointed out that the mine involved in the tragedy was what is known as Strip mine" In such a mine the coal is not taken out through a, shaft or slope. Instead the dirt is removed by steam shovels so as to expose the coal vein. This makes it an easy matter to blast the coal and load it into cars for ship ment to the market.
 All work had been suspended at all the mines of Illinois for about three months" Denison continued. This particular company desired to proceed with it's work of stripping the vein of coal, removing the dirt, and getting the tracks ready to mine and market the coal just as soon as the strike was ended.
 "The company entered into some sort of agreement with the union miners that they would only do this preliminary work, and they would not undertake to mine and market the coal. In pursuance of that agree ment union labor was employed for doing the work.
 AS soon as the company had strip ped the coal and removed the dirt and completed their other prelimin- ary work they discharged the union labor and imported something like 50 non-union men from Chicago and be- gan mining and marketing the coal contrary to their agreement with the miners. 1 can not vouch for the ab solute acuracy of this information, but 1t IS the information that has come to me from my district.
 Those who have not lived in the center of one of the greatest mining districts in the United States, where all the work is done by union labor and where all the circumstances ex- isted as I have just described them, can not appreciate or understand the feelings and passions that would be aroused by unloading non-union strikebreakers armed with machine guns and rifles in the midst of such a community.
 Defends Herrin Officials.
 Just as the murder of the Austrian archduke at Sarajevo plunged the whole world into war, with, all it's awful results, so the killing of one of the miners, under the circumstances I have just stated, may have ignited the fire which suddenly spread into con fagration and resulted so fate1ly and so unhappily for all concerned
 There has been some criticism of local officials for not doing their duty. The public is prone to place the blame somewhere as soon as pos sible. The sheriff of Williamson County may not have used good judgment, We can not we'll judge him unless we know the facts. But 1 know him personally, and I do not believe a man could be found who Is more courageous or less afraid to do his duty if he knew what his duty was :i la~ I-
 "Mr. Chairman, I regret that exag gerated newspaper reports and in temperate statements have been made in the Congressional Record with reference to this affair 1 hope the members and the public generally may suspend judgment until the facts may be brought to light and until an ample opportunity has been given for the law to take it's course"