The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-28
MINERS HEADS DON'T DARE URGE CUT


on September 8. The mine examiners
which he unlawfully discharged are:
James Sheldon, Don Darlington, R,
H. Pharis, Ed. McNarum, I. VIM,
Thomas Winn, Fern Everett, Thomas
Prosser, and Valie Rae. James Sned.
don, one Of the discharged examiners,
explained to me that the mine exam
liner enters the mine and explores II
with safety lamps before any miners
are allowed into the different rooms
of the mine When it Is remembered
that it takes six days steady walking
to enter all the chambers in one of
the big mines in this county, it will
be seen how many mine examiners
are needed.
after we had been discharged"
Sneedon told me, 1.-THE other examin-
ers were unable to visit all the por-
tions of the mine, and when the min.
ers entered they took chances of be-
ing overcome by gas or dust. Re-
Gently Anderson took back the exam.
liners he discharged"
Sheldon limited that the charges,
which were filed by the pit committee
Of the Waller mine, would not be
pressed in the county or appellate
court against Anderson. He limited
that compromise had been effected
but would not tell what it was or why
the charges will not be pressed. He
was forced to admit to me, however
that the pit committee is the only
body which can withdraw the charges
and refused to state why they would
do so. This is illustrative of another
fight which the coal diggers have to
face. AS soon as aggressive action is
taken in their behalf, the hedging OF
petty officials, the politics played by
the petty aristocracy Of the unions,
defeats justice to the actual coal dig
gers.
Eat Their Gardens.
When l was in O'Fallon I asked
Andrew Young, How do the coal min.
ers get something to eat when the un
employment continues for so long?
He told me that most of the miners
depend almost solely on their back
yard gardens.
But in Waller there are no gardens
Nothing but grape vines which bear
no grapes. There is no use planting
gardens here" William Potesak, {
Waller miner told me- Nothing will
grow in this climate but few early
tomatoes and some radishes and let
tuce Even these generally dry up
In Christopher and West Frankfort il
is possible to have gardens if you
have a hose and are continually wat
ering your plants, but there is no run
ming water in Waller"
Waller is perched on hard, dry, roll
ing hills. The roads in good weather
throw up a cloud Of black, choking
dust. When it rains, none but the
most foolhardy would attempt to pass
over them. There are of course, nc
trees. The tiny one-story houses
built of plain boards, are entirely ex
posed to the relentless glare of the
sun.
Waller Typical.
have dwelt on these conditions al
Waller because Waller gives the pic
ture of every mining camp in this sec
ton of the state. Waller is an aver
age mining camp. 1t does not have
the monotonous rows of ramshacklt
company houses which l will devote {
story to soon, and the inhabitants are
at least partially employed. But the
miners in Waller are going in the hole
even while working. They are hard
pressed for food, and due to the com
pact clay sub-soil and the climate, dc
not get fresh vegetables. The womer
are injured to suffering and are toe
inert to complain. The men, lacking
inspiration, drink moonshine.
But harried as they are with crude
living quarters, with slim pay enve
lopes and with. the treachery of prom.
Using union officials, the Waller min
ers, and the miners Of the entire
Southern Illinois district are deter
mined to resist wage cut.
They are too battle-scarred, too ex
perienced veterans in the class wal
to be taken in by the coal operators
and the union officials now advocating
class collaboration.