The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-23
Mooney STRIKE
OPENS FIGHT
ON HARRINGTON
FGker Hires Singers to
Club Delegates
BY T. J. O'FLAHERTY.
ARTICLE Ten.)

That Tom Mooney, trade
union organizer, was anguish
ing behind the prison bars OF
San Quentin and in danger OF
being sent to the electric chair
by the capitalists Of California
for something he was not guilty
of, did not mean anything t.
Frank harrington, president o.
the Illinois Miners Union. Blu
the rank and file of the organi
zation were as much concerne
with Mooney, a member of tn
MoIders' Union, as if he wer
coal digger from Illinois.
The class consciousness {
the rank and file of the miner
went far beyond the boundarie
of the state and even of the ma
ton. While Harrington and hi
henchmen were making com
mon cause with the coal opera
tors and their political lackeys
in the republican party, the min
ers who actually dug the coal
looked beyond the national
boundaries and followed with
interest and sympathy the great
struggle of their brothers in
Russia to defend their Soviet
Republic against the combined
forces of the capitalists of the
world.
Fear Rebel Spirit.
1t was fear OF this growth Of class
solidarity behind Mooney and the
crystallization Of the rebel spirit in
the Illinois Miners Union that was
one of the determining causes behind
the plot of the coal operators and Far
rington to crush the revolt before il
became too powerful. The fining Of
those who stopped work in behalf o.
Mooney was the pretext.
The miners we're enraged over this
action of the coal operators and de
manded a return of the fines. Bui
the coal barons only laughed at them
They knew that they had a powerful
ally in Frank harrington, head of the
miners union, who would use all the
resources of the organization to crush
the very men who filled the treasury
out Of their hard earned dollars.
Big Meeting Held.
The miners of the Niger Hollow
Mine, No. 2, at Belleville called a pro
test meeting and from that moment
the rebellion was on in real earnest
A mass meeting was arranged early
in August at Priester's Park, Belle
vile, and Harrington was advised Of
the arrangements by Board Member
Wilson. The Gears" reply is typi
cal:
with reference to your telegram
of LIST (AugusD | have instructed
Reynolds, Dobbins, Myers, Schaeffer
Thomas, Walker and Mason to attend
meeting to be held at Priester's PARK
Sunday afternoon and use every infiu
ence to curb the rebellious movement
in the Belleville District"
Farrington's henchmen were at the
meeting but their speeches served
only to infuriate the. miners. A reso
luton was unanimously adopted call
ing for the abolition of capitalism, and
another voting to continue the strike
Paid No Heed to Faker.
The meeting adjourned after ar
ranging for another mass meeting the
following week. This meeting was tC
be held in the open but rain forced
the miners indoors. Only about one
sixth of the sinners managed to gel
into the small hall. Secretary Treas
urer Nesbit Of the district office was
there and used all the arts Of the
politician to bluff the miners. But
the audience listened to him and went
on with their business as II he never
xisted. 1t was plain that Harrington