Tuesday, September 03, 2013

"to permit any who might be armed to visit their rooms and leave their weapons...."

Coal Miners In A Sort Of Love Fete

Proposed Housecleaning Will Not Be Settled by Mere Strength

Harmony Prevails

What One Side Desires Other Side Readily Agrees to.

Special to the World

   McAlester, Sept. 22--The proposed "housecleaning" in District No. 21(?) United Mine Workers of America, is not going to be settled by a mere showing of the strength among delegates on the floor of the special convention which was called to consider charges against President Pete Hanraty. All hope f either faction of controlling the organization and thereby cinching a victory were dashed Wednesday when tests of strength failed to show decisive results either way.

   In the selection of the grievance committee, before which all charges and counter charges will be threshed out, opposing factions gained but one seat each. The other three members of the committee are neutral. Some of the most pronounced adherents of both sides were defeated.

   Jeff Thurston of Adamson, the man elected as presiding officer when President Hanraty retired from the chair was proposed by the "insurgents" but was equally acceptable to the administration forces.

   The grievance committee is composed of T.H. Lipps of Bridgeport, Texas; Gus Sparlin of Thurber, Texas; J.P. Gowing of Denning, Ark.; G.E. Mikel of Jenny Lind, Ark., and J.H. Thomas of Lehigh, Okla.

Little Business Up.

   The convention proper will have little business to transact until the grievance committee reports, which will probably be the first of next week. President Hanraty, W.J. Drake or Dow and Samuel Phillips of Colgate, both member of the district executive board. Pete Stewart of Hartford, Ark., former district president, and Webb Covington of Fort Smith, attorney for the union, are all included in the list against whom charges have been lodged.

   When the convention convened Wednesday morning delegates voted instructions to the sergeants at arms to search all delegates for firearms and the convention adjourned one hour to permit any who might be armed to visit their rooms and leave their weapons.

   Reports that several were armed brought fear of factional violence. A number of delegates visited their rooms during the recess and when delegates returned to the hall no guns were found. A hundred or more knives were collected and laid on the clerk's desk.

[Tulsa Daily World, September 23, 1915. Vol. X, No. 313 MORNING EDITION, Pg. 10]

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