The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-09-05

miner entered suit against any oper-
ator in civil court FOR the recovery
Of any fine collected by the operator
the miners union shall be obliged to
reimburse the operator for the ex-
penses Of the litigation.
The operators were protected in
every way from the coal diggers. The
January 1918, convention of the
United Mine Workers meeting in In
dianapolis, accepted the Washington
agreement. DR.. Garfield in the mean
time secured an advance of 40 cents
per ton in the price of coal.
The living costs of the year 1917
increase and tho the living costs
were made the basis for the 1918 wage
mounted rapidly no further increases
were made until 1920.
The miners were told that it was
unpatriotic to ask for higher wages
while soldiers were killing Germans at
the rate of thirty dollars month.
Many capitalists were working in
Washington for one dollar a year! 1t
was afterwards shown that they were
really working Washington" Charley
Schwab, the millionaire steel manu-
facturer who worked for one dollar a
year, was spending $25O,OOO a month
The fat war contracts paid well.
The year 1919 witnessed slump in
the coal industry. The war was over
The coal barons had made their mil
lions and were out for a good time
The coal diggers were left sucking
their thumbs. The labor leaders look
ed quite prosperous. Only those who
went down in the mines and dug the
black diamonds had the dirty end of
the deal
President harrington, instead Of
helping the miners to secure better
working conditions actually took steps
to prevent them drawing bonuses
above the stipulated wage scale. Tho
the war was ended the coal diggers
found themselves tied up in decision
which said that tho the war in Europe
was officially over, as far as the
miners were concerned it would not
be over until two years after April
1918.
The miners were unable to put up
with this state Of affairs any longer
and the action of the coal operators
and the union officials over the
Mooney strike brought the rebellion
Of 1919 to a head.
The Mooney Strike.
The miners who went on strike in
an effort to save Mooney from the
gallows were fined by the operators
and this action was sanctioned by
Harrington. When the miners struck
against this wrong, Harrington got his
thugs busy and miners were slugged,
arrested and black-listed for the crime
of sticking up for their rights as work
ers and for a member of their class
whose life was threatened by the
! gallows.
Harrington declared the Mooney
fines were penalties Tor their de-
tiance to their accredited leaders" He
authorized his official henchmen to
/ hire scabs to break the strike.
A miners committee went to Spring
field to interview Harrington. The
members Of the committee were slug
ged on Farrington's orders by the
notorious Jack Brown, a boss in the
employ of the Peabody Coal company,
aided by Edward (Red) Maher and
William Wall. also known as "One-
cared Wall"
After the brutal smuggling Of the
Collinsville delegation the movement
for calling special convention to kill
the automatic fine clauses grew rapid
ly. The state policy committee issued
a call for special district convention
to be held in Springfield, Illinois, Tues
day, August 10, 1919.
While the miners thruout the state
had many grievances, they wanted re-
dressed, the action OF Farrington's
sluggers fred their anger.
Deputy sheriffs were appointed from
the ranks Of the miners who remained
loyal TO Harrington. Gunmen and
criminals of all descriptions were or.
ganized to terrorize the strikers.
charters were revoked and the coal
operators on Farrington's suggestion
issued orders to the strikers that I'M
less they returned to work their Jobs
would be forfeited. Here were the
bosses and the government working
hand in hand with strikebreaker Far.
rington.
| ITO Be Continued.)