The diamond drill., 1922-01-27
Subscription $3.50 per year.
Procession OF Men out OF Work
Marched To Dickinson County
Court House Saturday

A procession containing about 25V
idle miners marched through Iron
Mountain TO the Dickinson county
court house last Saturday and placed
their request for aid before the county
poor commission OF that county. The
men said that they had been out OF
work for so long time that their re-
sources had all been licked up and
they must now look to the county for
food.
II its report of the meeting the Daily
News says:
The demonstration occurred shortly
before l0:00 o'clock. the men march,
ing into the court room and, through
a committee. making known their case
to Beauparlant.
We must eat. Our families must
live they declared, and seemed only
anxious TO secure necessary relief
There was no hint OF violence or
uprising the entire meeting having
an atmosphere of peaceful effort to-
obtain the essentials OF life.
Having been notified that the men
We're coming, county officials were az
waiting them in the court room. When
the last had filed in. three represen--
tatives of the men, Joseph Sparora, An
tone Ozzallo and Joseph Grailer walk
ed To the clerks desk at which Beau
parlant was standing Grailer wass
the frs; 10 speak.
He declared that the men had beem
Disseminated against in the hiring OF
labor at the Ford and Fox sawmills,.
Non residents and strangers were Civ
en- the preference, he asserted, and ass
a result the men were wholly depen--
dnt upon the mines for employment.
He was followed by Sparora who,
also acted as interpreter for Beaupar--
liant. Sparora asserted that the mem
We're financially stripped, were find
ing II difficult to feed their families
and had been forced TO seekr eilef
They are hungry. Their children ana
wives are hungry. They need clotn--
ing and they are here for help. No
one knows when the mines are go
ing 10 open Now they want a COM
mittee of the statemet and they also
want help"
Ozzallo made the longest plea or
behalf OF the men who sat silent Ian
the spectators seats. THE Italian
people want clothes. they want food.
he said. For seven months the mines
have been idle and We have used up
our savings to live. Now that these
savings are gone We must have help. -
1t pains one," he continued. to
see little children barefoot to hear
them ask for food when there Is none
to give, TO be hungry and not TO be
able to satisfy their hunger The
men can't stand it. they will not see
their families In distress.
When the mines closed many of
the men had a little money saved
For a while they lived comfortably.
Gradually their money went until H.
nally their purse was empty Still
they had no work. yet the problems
OF feeding and caring for their fami--
lies only increased.
trouble. They come here peacefully
to seek assistance and are anxious to
avoid argument or lighting. A man
can ask no less than the bare necessi-
ties OF life and they ask only for life
Following the presentation of their
request. Beauparlant announced that
at no time had the county refused to-
assist any family in actual need In
answer to the request that the SUPER
yisors meet and name committee to-
confer with c. o. Davidson, superin-
tepdent Of the Oliver Iron Mining Co,
Beauparlant advised he miners to-
name a committee from their mas
and asserted that the county officials
knew no more nor could obtain any
more information on the opening OF
the mines than the men themseives-