The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-04-04
Petty Cars Hold Miners in TH1uH With Mailed
BY ROBERT TALLEY'
NEA Service Writer


DINEVILLE, KY, April All
4 any of the two busloads of
eastern college students, bent
upon investigating conditions in
the coal regions of southeastern
Kentucky-Harlan and Bell coun-
ties--had avoided being turned
back by Kentucky citizens at the
state border and had entered the
area, here's what they would
have found:
Suspension of all rights and
L all liberties in a community
wherein there are 10000 persons
-jobless miners, their wives and
children-living in rickety shacks,
and kept alive only by such
meager relief as can be afforded
by local organizations
O-The mines in which these
men were employed operating
only on part time, with such coal
as is mined selling at price
which the operators claim to be
bleyo the cost Of mining
DINNERS working three or four
= days a week, drawing from 50
to So day in company scrip, not
in cash, and compelled to pur-
chase all supplies from company
stores at a price which, operators
admit, represents sufficient profit
to the operators to help absorb
the deficit represented in the sale
of coal
I-Headed by dictator in the
4 person of County Attorney
Walter B. Smith of Bell county,
there is the picture of the bust
ness interests, the churches, local
community clubs, the American
Legion and residents generally
banded together as a unit to pre-
vent any outside interference
in the community af-
fairs
I'm Harlan or Bell counties
- your sympathies must be en-
tirely with these local community
groups mentioned above as OPP
posed to the miners or you're
red
C-Strikes or other radical move
" ments have been put down by
force. About dozen we're killed
in labor wars in this area during
the past year
F7-As the result of labor troubles,
the various citizens organiza-
tons regard the situation as now
under control, and their process
for maintaining quiet includes:
Arresting any one not known to
them; holding suspected Com
munlsts under charges of Grim
mai syndicalism; demanding that
all visitors give a satisfactory &C
counting of their reason for be-
ing there.
If the explanation is not salts
factory, the visitor is handed a
card inviting him to leave the
county. If he doesn't leave, he's
driven out.
Two newspaper men have been
shot and wounded, one of them
while being so escorted beyond
the state line
Q-Upon receipts of news that
= visitors are coming, such as
the eastern college students, it is
possible to gather a posse and
within fifteen minutes load up
plenty of donated automobiles
to meet the outlanders-
O-Into this fertile field for agi-
- tation with thousands unem-
ployed, the National Miners
Union-a Communist organiza-
tion-sent organizers one year
ago. There were fiery speeches.
The leaders were driven out of
the state or locked up on syndi-
calism charges. Some miners
still will admit belonging to the
"Roosian union, which is all they
know about it, but most of them
have burned their cards. To be
found in possession of such card
means arrest.
County Attorney Smith says he
is continuing his campaign "to
save the nation from Com
munism but in this campaign
he is disregarding all rights and
liberties
1O-As a further idea of COM
1O batting Communism, all out
side relief for the unemployed
miners and their families is re-
ieCted