The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-01-12
BY JOHN T. MOUTOUX,
Times stan Correspondent

FRANKFORT, KY, jan. Two
dence and hunger in Harlan county
coal fields offered fertile ground for
apostles of radicalis-l, and repre-
sentatives of the I. w. w, National
Miners Union and International
Labor Defense trooped in.
They said to the jobless miners:
Join our organization and we will
feed and clothe you and your fami-
lies" The miners joined.
William Turnblazer, president OF
District 10, of the United Mine
Workers Of America, charges that
the radicals were brought in by the
coal operators, to break up the
union and prejudice the people
against the miners. Several of the
witnesses before former Governor
Elem Simpsons investigating COM
mission expressed the same opinion.
Didn't Catch Red
The commission asked Sheriff
Blair about this. He was asked in
particular about one Rice, National
Miners Union Organizer.
"He was an awful strong Ma
tional Miners Union man." said
Sheriff Blair. ale was very active
in distributing literature, especially
at night time"
why wasn't he indicted for syn
dicalism?" the commission asked.
1--WE never did catch him with
it," the sheriff replied.
At the same time, scores Of min
ers, who had never before heard
of the strange doctrines preached
by these organizations, were taken
out of their homes at night, abused,
locked up under heavy bond, and
finally released. Their only crime,
testimony indicated, was possess
ing some Of the pamphlets or copies
Of the Daily Worker, distributed by
Rice.
Joined /. w. w. for Food
The commission found that many
Of those who joined the I. w. w. or
the National Miners renounced it.
e. B. Childers, superintendent of
the Black Mountain Mine, admitted
the same thing when he told of TAX
ing back a miner who had joined
the l. w. w.
He told me he joined the I. w.
w. on the promise Of the organizer,
Ike Lane, that the organization
would feed him and his family"
Childers said. II think he joined
them for that purpose solely
The commission also learned that
many of the miners who joined tne
United Mine Workers were not only
fired, but also blacklisted, and now
find themselves unable to get jobs
lin this section or even beyond"
Three Babies Starve
THE mine operators will abso-
lutely not tolerate them" Judge
Hays, commission member, told Cir
cult Judge D. G. Jones. Can you
tell me what has caused such con-
ditions?"
Il don't know, Judge Hays" re-
piled Jones. Il don't have anything
to do with the operation of the
coal mines"
The commissions report is filled
with evidences of the stark poverty
which drove the miners into the
camps of the radicals on the prom
Use of food for their families. S. S.
Pope, farmer and property owner,
told of three babies in one row of
houses dying from starvation.
DO they get milk?" the commits
sion asked Pope.
mo. They live mostly on corn
bread" Then he added: Those
people whose babies died had moth
ing to bury them with. They asked
the county to bury them and the
county judge refused casketS."
"Why?"
Buried in Boxes
He said there was an agreement
not to bury any more paupers I'M
less it was those in the poorhouse.
The neighbors got some rough lum-
Der and made some boxes and buried
them. One was buried in the neigh
borhood cemetery, the other two in
Tennessee"
Pope told the commission that
mo one who is a sympathizer with
the union men is called to jury
service" and declared that since
April, every man who does not SYM
pathiZe with the coal operators is
called a red" He owns fifteen
homes at Catron's Creek.