The daily worker., 1925-05-02
nIcTDInT nNr
UEOInIUI UNE
MINERS Reject
CAPPELLINI TOOL
Mass ssDemonstration
Against Faker
BY PAT TooHEY.

WILKES BARRE, Pa.-Miners of
the Woodward colliery, Edwardsville,
Pa, for the second time in April
staged a mass parade in protest
against the actions of Rinaldo Cap
pellini, president of District /, U. NJ.
w. of A.
The parade occurred on the day
the district board was conducting the
Special election" at the Woodward
colliery. The faction headed by Stan
ley Edmunds, of over 1900 men, re-
fused to participate in the election
but chose to parade in protest.
Trouble Long Brewing.
The trouble at the Woodward col.
liery has been brewing for many
months, in fact long before Cappellini
revoked the local charter, a la Lewis.
The group led by Adam Dunn, school
director and peanut politician, has
been recognized by the district execu-
tive board as the local union officials
for some time.
The membership of the local abso-
lutely refuse to recognize Dunn and
his cohorts as their officers, claiming
that the Dunn group, consisting Of
about 500 of the 100 members, met
secretly and elected themselves. AS
a consequence there has been two
local unions functioning at the mine
for the past few months.
Martial Law in Union Fight.
The sequel came when the Edmunds
group refused to pay dues to the
Dunn officials. The officers" then re-
taliated by refusing to permit the
Edmunds followers to enter the mine.
The Edmundsites then paraded thru
Kingston, Edwardsville and Wilkes
Barre.
A miner or two was knitted or shot
on that ccasion-otherwise the pa
rade was peaceful. The situation be.
came so tense that the state cossacks
practically placed the whole section
under martial law by ordering the
closing Of poolroOms, hotels, etc.
Cappellini then stepped in and after
three-hour meeting the district ex-
.ecutive board by a vote of four TO
three decided that the Woodward col.
liery should hold a special election
with the district board as tellers.
They decided that Dunn and Edmunds
should each submit a list of candi-
dates.
1900 Miners in Protest Parade.
Dunn accepted this, but Edmunds
refused on the basis that his officers
were the regularly elected officials
and that it was contrary to the dis.
trict and international law to remove
officers in his manner. Three of the
executive board thought likewise.
However, the election" took place
with Dunn's men voting and Edmunds'
1,2OO men parading the streets of
Wilkes Barre and adjacent towns.
More trouble is expected at the
Woodward colliery, and the miners of
the district are waiting patiently for
future developments. The Edmunds
group is expected to parade again
soon as it will soon be time for Dunn's
button committee" to examine the
dues books of the miners 1t is gen.
orally thought that the Edmunds fac.
tion, heretofore staunch Lewis sup.
porters, will be the bulk of opposition
at the tri-district convention against
the Lewis-Cappellini aggregation.
Waking Up.
The miners of the Woodward col.
liery and of the Pennsylvania Coal
Co. have had their eyes opened has to
the real type of gentlemen Lewis and
Cappellini are. Since they have ex-
perienced official opposition and char
ter revocation, they are beginning to
realize that the ducks heading their
organization have as their motto
rule or Ruin" They are beginning
to realize that the militant struggle
waged by the Kansas and Nova SEQ.
tia miners was not for the reasons
Lewis told them, and that the $4,000
miners who voted anti-Lewis last cleo
tion certainly knew what they were
doing.
Scores of local unions are selecting
committees to personally investigate
the Woodward situation, and as many
conflicting reports are heard. Cappel.
lini is determined to get rid of Ed
munds and retain Dunn in defiance of
the will of the Woodward member
ship.
Lewis Won't Answer Letter.
Lewis was asked by Edmunds for a
ruling on the charge that the special
election was illegal and contrary TO
the union laws, but evidently Lewis is
too busy selling out the Nova Scotia
miners to Besco to answer. as Ed.
munds is still waiting for a reply to
his wire.
Cappellini is being denounced and
condemned by the miners thruout the
entire district. They speak plainly
and say he sold them out time and
time again. His mouthines Of "soli.