The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-17
Music, F|SHWICK
Divide OFFICES
IN FAKE union"
Try to Frame National
Miner Leader

miners to be fooled. The loud noise
about the struggle between Howat
and Fishwick" has now quieted down
entirely. The only basis in fact that
it ever had may have been due to
the ambition of Howat and Brophy,
his supporter, to take little more
of the lead than Fishwick and
Walker thought necessary, certainly
there is no conflict in principal, and
the Howat forces quite cheerfully
in the end, permitted harrington to
take seat among them.
Assault Thompson.
Friday, Freeman Thompson, presi-
dent of the National Miners Union,
was slugged by an official strong
arm gang as he entered the Knights
Of Columbus hall, where the "reor-
ganization" convention was held. He
was arrested on a trumped up
charge of carrying concealed wea-
pons, and is now free on bond.
The attack on Thompson conceded
with the seating of Frank Earring
ton, $25,000-a-year stool-pigeon of
the Peabody Coal Company, and elo-
quently symbolized the real charac-
ter of the convention. harrington
had been given five hours by the
Fishwick-Howat forces in which to
defend" himself. The proposal to
give the Peabody man the floor was
made by Powers Hapgood, of Colo
RADIO, and one of the two delegates
from Pennsylvania-the other being
John Brophy. (There are 100000
miners in the state.)
AS he entered the hall, Thompson
was met by a gang of so organized
thugs under the leadership Of Joe
Loda, a notorious Peabody hench-
man and U.M.W.A. board member
from Springfield. Armed with guns
and black jacks and hurting murder
threats at Thompson, the thugs
mauled the N.M.U. president, at the
same time pretending to search him
for weapons.
Loda's Frame-Up.
Undaunted by the fact that non2
was found, Lola leaped to the plat
form, flourished a loaded revolver,
and informed the delegates" that
the gun was found on Thompson.
Loda then ENGINEERED Thompson's
arrest.
A few moments before Thompson
was assaulted, one of the hand-pick-
ed delegates had concluded wordy
attack on John L. Lewis, charging
that his reign had been character
lied by packing of conventions,
smuggling of delegates and all oppon-
ents." Almost at the same moment,
Lewis henchmen in indianapolis
were detailing facts dealing with
an urd der, intimidation, coercion,
graft and corruption" on the part
of the officials of District II and
Sub-district 9, sponsors of the
Springfield gathering.
The last hours of the convention
were taken up with a listless dis
cussion of the constitution adopted,
which is almost complete reproduc-
ton of the official U.M.W.A. con-
stitution. Thirty-five jobs at an
nual salaries of $4,000 each have
already been provided for as a ma
tural preliminary. Expense ac-
counts are of course unlimited. These
salaries will be paid for out of the
check-off which they will try to force
upon the miners, and through COM
pulsory assessments.
Still Discriminate.
No pretense has been made toward
the elimination of discrimination
against Negro miners except the
formal clause in the constitution. /
The same dictatorial appointive
powers which characterize the rule
of John L. Lewis are to be vested !
in the president of the new outfit, |
according to the constitution adopt
ed.
Thompson, for weeks before the t
opening of the convention, has been
exposing the gang behind it in
speeches to the Illinois miners. On
the eve of the convention he chal-
lenged Alex Howat, leader of the |
discredited progressives to debate,
but the Kansas U.M.WA. official /
feared to meet the N.MU. president. .
The so-called convention" formal |
ly adopted Waivers appeal to Green
for consolidating the two company
unions under the direct control of
the ALL. Green will speak tomor-
row at the Lewis convention" in |
Indianapolis.