The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-02-26
81 a WOrker correspondent

Patrick T. Fagen is advertised as a
great labor leader in District Five,
United Mine Workers of America. He
happens to be president of this dis
trict. To show his real character we
will go back to local meeting that
was held by Local 2278 Bentleyville,
Pa, and an interview of a number of
progressive miners. that took place
in the Pittsburgh district Office and a
mass meeting that was held against
the 1917 scale drive of the operators
in Mariana, Pa.
The meeting of Local 227S was held
to find ways and means to help the
imprisoned miners in Moundsville
penitentiary.c To this meeting the
miners invited the progressive miners
leaders Brother w. Cutler and j..
Dates and also the district president
They all arrived. The hall was packed
with about 400 men all interested in
their fellow workers in the peniten-
tiary, but to every ones surprise this
district president did not come alone,
but had half dozen of his well fed
gang alonge Every one of them
weighed over 200 pounds.
District officers Neglect Duty.
AS the meeting was called to order,
the progressive, B. Cutler, was given
the floor. He pointed out that the
district officials were neglecting their
positions by not giving the right kind
of protection to these imprisoned
men.
AS soon as this statement was made
the "honored% president lost his
temper. He called the progressive
speaker a liar and called him out on
the street for fight. The miners in
the hall protested against this out
break and made the president behave
and wait until his turn came to speak.
But he paid no attention to the pro-
test until a motion was passed that
if he did not behave he would be turn
ed out of the hall.
When his turn came to speak, he
declared it was the mems own fault
they were in the penitentiary. He also
attacked the Progressive Miner claim
ing that it was paid for by Moscow and
the operators to destroy the union.
Now for the interview with this
great labor leader. The operators
closed over half of their mines in this
district to staive the men into sub
mission and to make them except the
1917 scale. At the few mines that
were still working, the miners lost
union conditions, one after another
and the boss put two to four men in
one place and refused to pay for
dead work. D.
No relief was given the locked-out
miners. Theydhad to go into non.
union mines to9make a living. The
whole district went to the dogs and
nothing was done by the officials to
stop 1t.
Profits or Lives?
About eight M the leading progress
sive miners went to the district Off
Gals Office with, few proposals and
solutions to ,5he situation. These
miners asked the officials first If they
had any way or means how to get rid
Of this situation and that they were
willing to help along as much as they
could. Fagen cut them short in say.
ing that there was nothing to be done
because nobody can run mines with.
out profit.
The spokesman OF these eight
miners asked the president what
came first, profits or the lives OF the
miners.
The president laughed this off and
said, would you run a mine without
profit" Again this miner asked what
about the men that were out of a lob.
The president said "let them hunt n
job in some other industry, can't
help them"
They argued this way for an hour
without reaching any agreement AT
last the miners handed him a pro-
gram of action and asked the presi.
dent TO put IL before the executive
committee meeting. He promised to
do this but nobody has ever heard
anything about II since. No action
was taken. Mine after mine is open.
Ing under tho 1917 scale.
l~4%