The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-12-11
Send TROOPS
IN Mine STRIKE
Thousands Now O u t
in Illinois

SluS VI Tie IOdu' 1ilG lllell III CllS
cars usually Joined the pickets, be-
ing for the most part unaware of
the magnitude of the movement, and
anly going to work because temper
yrily del.ded by the campaign of
ine Lewis and Fishwick, U.M.W,A.,
liars, who had told them that only
a few trouble makers hired by the
bosses" were calling the strike.
Close Largest Mine.
The miners Immediately marched
on Mine So, the largest in the Tay-
lorville district, and only "a scabs
got into that mine and those sneak,
ed through the picket lines by a
ruse.
The United Mine Workers local
at No. 8, 800 members voted by an
overwhelming majority yesterday to
kick out the Fishwick officials and
join the National Miners Union in
a body.
Adjutant General Carlos NJ
Black, faithful servant of the H.
linois Coal Operators Association at
once called out the militia, ordering
600 troops to Taylorville and vicin-
ity. He secured a ready assent to
his act from Governor Emmerson
HE militia in use are a company
u infantry from the 130th regiment
of the National Guard, a troop of
cavalry from the 106th, both from
Springfield; the headquarters unit
from Decatur and a machine gun
unit from Decatur. The headquar
tiers company and the infantry COM
pany are also plentifully equipped
with machine guns. At each mine
are stationed so militiamen.
These troops make their main
headquarters in the City Hall
Square at Taylorville, and menace
the picket headquarters on the other
side of the square with their ma
chine guns.
Armed Business Men.
The night shift at Langley, 200
men, when they saw the pickets come
out in front of the mine at z a. m.
yesterday, went back into the mine
and waited there. Sheriff Dunbar,
of Christian County, assembled a
heavily armed posse of so business
men, and drove them out, then "es-
courted' them to their homes.
This morning, after the militia
had arrived, over a thousand miners
in the Taylorville section refused to
go to work. These men had not yet
Joined the National Miners Union
but declined to work under "protec-
ton" of troops. Altogether between
$500 and 1000 men are striking in
e Taylorville section, and the
q rike is rapidly spreading.
This morning a couple of hundred
miners marched or rode in an auto
mobile caravan, from Taylorville tc
Kincaid, about 20 miles away. They
were Joined by hundreds of local
strikers, who gathered at the mine
entrances, while still others blocked
the roads, and turned back towards
4 Taylorville any automobile parties
arriving to work in the mine.
At Buckner, in the southern part
of the coal fields, Sheriff James
Pritchard, of Franklin County led
posse Of business men and U. M.
WA. and coal company gunner and
broke up the picket line at the
entrance of the Old Ben Mine No
IA. This Pritchard just before the
.&rikc started, issued statement
saying that he would "protect the
U.M.W.A. as the only union recog-
nized by the coal operators from any
interference while it carried out its
1ntract."
Harry Fishwick, district presi-
mt of the U.M.W.A., issued a
statement to the press today, ask
ing miners to be "loyal to their con-
tract, land announcing that he had
not heard of any real strike.
Freeman Thompson, organizer
for the National Miners Union,
stated today that the strike would
go ON until the miners demands for