The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-23
STATE POLICE
FIGHTING STRIKE
IN CABIN CREEK
Guns and Injunctions
Used on Miners.
BY TOM TIPPETT

(Staff Correspondent Of the Fed. Press)
ESKDALE, w. Va, April 22-There
are still 1000 members of the United
Mine Workers Of America on strike
on Cabin Creek. They, together with
their wives and children, number TO-
600 people, and are all living in tents
or barracks and have been since 1922.
Wreckage of the national coal strike.
Cabin Creek is in the Charleston
territory Of West Virginia and was
solidly organized in 1912 by Mother
Jones after much trouble. The "Bull
Moose special" an armored train,
played an important part in the 1912
13 Cabin Creek strike. This train
passed slowly thru the valley and fir
ed a machine gun broadside into a
tent colony occupied exclusively by
striking miners women and children
at Holly Grove on Paint Creek. On
Cabin Creek the men were not bluff
ed by the armed monster. (Chief
Justice VIM. Howard Taft was then
president) A fort was erected on
on the mountain side and war be-
gan that ended with the Kenyon con-
gressional investigation.
Won In 1912, Lost In 1922
The publicity surrounding this
trouble and the cry of protest from
outside contributed much toward sue
cess for the miners. After year the
strike was won in 1913. Peace reign
ed on the creek with the union firmly
established until the 1922 national
coal strike. No settlement has been
made since and the mines are ope-
rating with strikebreakers.
The inevitable tent colony, erected
to shelter the families, thrown out
of company houses on the roadside,
still houses these unfortunate people
tho they are badly dilapidated after
standing the elements two years.
District II, U. M. W. A., is support
ing these strikers, as well as thou
sands Of others similarly situated
thruout the state The strike relief
provides coarse food and nothing
more.
Huddled Like Cattle.
The suffering is indescribabIe. The
badly worn tents stand all along the
creek on odd patches of land not
owned by the coal companies. One
colony is exactly like another Hun
dreds of women and children huddle
together like cattle. In the Eskdale
colony alone ~ children died last
year-all under three years old. The
living ones seem to be half starved,
tho they declare they have enough to
eat. There are few barracks but
most families live in tents. The
countryside bristles with state police
with huge searchlights mounted thru
out the valley. Guns of every des-
cription are everywhere in evidence
against the evicted mine workers
and their families.
Injunction and State Police.
An injunction rigidly enforced by
the state police provides six months
in jail and a $50 fine for a striker
caught speaking with" a strike
breaker. The strikebreakers here
were shipped from Alabama, most Of
them.
In the face of what already seems
defeat the sufferers say they will
fight on to victory. = And they have
won victory after victory in this fash
ion in previous struggles. The his
tory of their union is an uninterrupt-
ed chapter Of that kind Of misery.
Tent Colony Needs Clothing.
The tent colonists need clothing
badly and will appreciate any old
castoffs of any size for men, women
or children. Such things should be
sent to William Bowring, Eskdale,
Wy We