The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-13

harrington machine cdnQ1QaLeS. AS
it was known that the miners of this
local were largely opposed to the ma
chine candidates, this aroused suspi-
cion.
Frank Johnson, progressive candi-
date for sub-district secretary treasur-
er, told the tellers, 1.-THE genuine
ballots were marked by me for iden-
LITIGATION. marked them with light
yellow crayon on the bottom edge of
the stack. You cannot see the yell
low crayon on a single ballot, but
when you stack them up you can see
the yellow mark" The ballots were
stacked up and showed no sign of
the yellow mark.
Burglar Methods.
The Office was then searched, and
It was found that the door had been
jimmied open during the night. Later
it was discovered that the initials of
the secretary on the backs of the bal
lots seemed not to be in the hand
writing of the secretary, Sam Con-
gardo. Nevertheless, the tellers de-
cided to turn in the vote as genuine.
1t was from this set Of ballots that
the DAILY WORKER obtained the
samples of the counterfeit.
Throw Out Good Ballots.
When the returns of the sub-district
came in, it was shown that in spite
of whatever frauds were perpetrated
with the bogus ballot, at least one of
the candidates of the progressive
slate, Frank Johnson, was elected.
Johnson had been elected on the face
Of the returns by 1859 votes as
against All votes for his highest op-
ponent, the candidate of the Earring
ton machine, E. B. Loden.
But the machine could not afford
to have the important Office Of sub.
district OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES in the
hands of the progressives, and so de-
cided to throw out enough ballots to
beat Johnson.
This was done. In Local No. 992 al
Zeigler, ILL.,, the progressive slate had
run highest, Henry Corbishley having
received $40 votes for snub-district
president, as against 241 for Lon Fox
the machine candidate, and Frank
Johnson sos votes as against the re
dictionary Loden's 154 votes for sec.
retary-treasurer. Johnson's lead OF
401 votes in this one local union was
enough to make the difference be
tween his election or defeat.
To throw out the returns of this
Zeigler local would, therefore, be
alone sufficient to wipe out the last
candidate of the Progressives and
leave the control of the sub-district
completely in the hands Of the Far.
rington machine.
The machine found a way to throw
out the zeigler locals vote.
Alex Hargs Helps Crooked Game.
Harrington had his man in the of.
fee of recording secretary of ZeigleT
Local No. 992. 1t was Alex Hargis
who is believed by the miners to be a
member of the ku klux khan, and GER
tainly known to be tool of the Far.
rington machine. The constitution OF
the U. M. w. of A. requires that the
election returns of any local, in or
der to be counted, must be signed by
the recording secretary of the local.
The machine saw to it that the re,
cording secretary, Hargis, refused to
sign the returns. Then the machine
ruled that since the recording secre.
tary failed to sign the returns, the
vote Of the big zeigler local was IL
legal.
Another local, No. 1857 at West
Frankfort, where the progressives ran
high vote which it was impossible
to overcome with the fraudulent bal
lots, was thrown out on the excuse
that the returns were sent in by spe.
cial delivery mail whereas the rules
require that they be sent in "by re.
gistered mall" A smaller local at
Rend City was thrown out on the
ground that The returns were not in
the mail in time.
The Trail Of Fox, Cobb and HargIs.
1t is now necessary to follow the
trail Of Lon Fox, ID. B. Cobb and es.
pecially the petty tool, Alex Hargis
Fox and Cobb. as president and vice.
president of the sub-distr1ct showed
themselves to be the outright agents
Of the Bell & Zoller mine owners and
worked hand in glove with both the
republican party machine and the ku
klux khan. Their tool, Alex Hargis,
was destined to fire the shot that
killed Mike Sarovich, faithful union
member and member of the Workers
(Communist) Party.
When Frank Johnson, cheated of
the election as sub-district secretary.
treasurer, was elected by the zeigler
Local 992 as assistant checkweigh.
man, he became an obstacle to the
cheating OF the miners In the weigh
ing Of their coal. Johnson discover.
ed that the scale at the Bell and FOL