The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-04-24
THE THIRD PRIZE WINNER.
MILITANT miner
FRAMED BY BOSS
And union HEADS
Arley Staples Fired for
Activity
BY JOHN SMITH.
Worker Correspondent.

WALLER, ILL.,, April 22-The latest
outrage committed against the mill
tant miners in Illinois shows to what
extent the coal operators are lined up
with the Harrington machine Of the
Miners Union to weed out all opposi-
ton to the officials Of the union.
Arley Staples, a militant coal miner
of Christopher, H., was framed up
and discharged by the coal company,
and his discharge sustained by the
officials of the union, Notwithstanding
the fact that the tools of the coal
company, who aided in the frame-up,
were tried by a jury of the Waller Lo-
cal Union, found guilty Of violating
their obligation and fined SIS each.
The, Frame-Up.
Staples was charged with threaten
ing to hit his working buddy with a
chunk of coal and discharged
on February 13, this year. Paul
Cotton, Staples buddy, after the trial,
stated that the coal company threat
ened him with discharge if he did not
testify against Staples. One witness
at the trial stated that Nick Boracek
said to him that he would be dis
charged if he did not give evidence
against Staples. Nick Boracek is a
well-known tool Of the Coal company.
Company stenosrapher.
The coal company clerk took the
evidence down in shorthand, and
when the evidence was read it was
found to be doctored to read as the
coal company wanted it. The evil
dence was confpted but nevertheless
it was accepted as read by the miners
official This official is the father-in-
law of the president of sub-district
nine, the NOTORIOUS Lon Fox.
Board Members Active.
After the district board member
handled the case with the operators
representative, he did not arrive at a
decision that day, but took the evil
dence under adYisement. The district
board member handled the case on
March %, and a week later he noti-
fed the local sacretary that the dis
charge was sust9ined. and Staples was
kicked out. NJ
This is only one example Of the
treachery of ths Harrington machine
which is determined to rule or ruin
the U. NJ. W. OLA. in Illinois. In all
the mines around this district the
militant miners are being expelled be-
cause they are sticking up for their
rights.
Glass Collaboration.
The class collaboration of the min
ers' officials and the coal companies
is seen in all the expulsions, and many
miners, who did not understand what
Harrington meant at the last district
convention when he advised the min
ers to cooperate with the mine own
ers to load clean coal, to refrain from
antagonism and to lessen the cost
Of production, now see, and have good
personal reason to know what he
meant.
Our organization has been weak
ened by these tactics to such an ex-
tent that it is a union in name only.
1t will take many years to rebuild
the U. M. w. Of A. to the point it
was before Lewis and Harrington took
hold of the union. The progressive
miners are practically all expelled, but
that will not settle anything in the
union. the fight will be kept mp in spite
of all the takers and eventually we
will win, and the. progressive miners
program will be- put into effect.
We need more news from the shops