The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-18

locals, with II votes, which are
located at non-union or abandoned OF
long-ldle mines. Two Of these locals
(Sl49 and 1921, 2 votes each) have
appeared in no tax report as far back
as the one for six months ending Jan.
81, 1920. Eight have paid nothing
since July 81, 1921; (l2Ol. aban-
doned; 30S1, 3138, 1852, 3143. $3.50,
3l4O, at non-union mines; and 963 at
Manown mine, now part of Mongah
mine, local union 408). One (4400l
has paid nothing since Jan. 81, 1922.
The other four (3141, and $40 at
non-union mines; 2501 and 1872 at
long-idle mines) have since July 81.
1921, paid tax regularly or now and
then but only on an average of less
than ten members.
Every one of these is locals has
thus for years been composed entire
ly or almost entirely of exonerated
members. If there really are the
number of exonerated members in
these locals which the machine claims
there - when it represents these
locals, IT is miracle how they can
live so long without work.
1t may well be doubted whether
there are really enough members in
any Of these locals to entitle them to
existence.
What Does This Mean?
Local $40 is at Albany mine, near
Brownsville, which has been non
union for years, if not thruout its ex-
lstence. 3149 is at Breckenridge,
where Fannie Sellins was murdered
by a company thug Aug. 26, 1919,
during an attempt to establish the
union. According to reports this
ended the campaign, with the ex-
ception of passing on some relief in a
very loose manner. 1921 is at Ma
trona, whose one or two mines have
oeen non-union for years, if not dur
ing their existence.
The other non-union mines are in
the Kiskiminetas River Valley which
was once well organized.
In the report for the six months
ending July 81, 1921, % Kiski locals
appear, paying tax equivalent to 1882
members. In the reports since that
Tune, from to 5 locals appear, pay
ing on from 5 to 100 members in the
various reports. This has been due
to the action Of the Hicks Coal Co.
the chief operator in this field. which
broke the contract before its expira-
tion April 1, 1922, and which with
practically all the other operators IN
the kish valley have been able since
to establish the open-shop.
Graveyard Locals.
The payroll represented" 16
locals which during the year ending
July 81, 1928, were real respectable
But In the next four months report
ten OF these locals do not appear
1876, 1920, 2597, 2244, 615, 2555.
l247, 1903, 4001, 2728) and the other
SIX paid an unusually low amount of
tax (4338, 4S74, 4740, SIC, 4724.
67D This means that these mines
were idle for all or most of this four
months, which means for six months
before the convention. With mines
operating all around these idle mines,
there would be very few members left
in these locals by the time the con-
vention rolled around. It is therefore
extremely probable that at least some
of these locals had lost members until
they did not have left the required
ten members, and were therefore un-
entitled to representation in the con-
vention. Sixteen votes from these.
Peanut" Locals.
The payroll represented" 20
locals with 20 votes which in the year
and for months ending Nov. 80, 1928.
paid tax equivalent to an average
membership of so or less. (3128.
5O27, 3214, 1929, 5116, 2456. 2367'
1923, 4219, 3716, I94S, 1903. 1925
1882, 1898, 1925, $3.50, 1861, 1870.
$500. Such locals are constitution
ally entitled to representation. even
tho the membership is only ten. Gar
ticle XII, Section p and can combine
with other small locals to send dele
gate (Section 81, and by custom. a
small local is often represented by a
delegate from a local of more than
the one hundred membership specified
in Section 5. But in practice, very
few locals of less than 100 members.
let alone less than SO, are represented
if left to themselves.
The Constitution exempts them
from penalty for failure to be rep
resented; and the burden of the dele
gates hotel and wages, the bother of
combining with other locals, and the
knowledge that the small-local does
not have much influence, act together
to keep the locals from sending dele
gates from their membership.
But one of the payroll can easily
get credentials from these small locals
because it costs the local nothing, and
thus add to the machine vote in the
convention votes which would not be
cast at all did the payroll system of
representation not exist.
The Representing" of these "pea-
nut" locals is all the worse because
of the unusually small number Of
members represented by a vote.
These 20 locals paid tax according to
the last report equivalent to total
average membership of 515, while 10
locals in the Canonsburg section
whose 20 votes were cast against the
machine, paid on an average member
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