◆ SpookStack

7 wm . 4 ao ptpa. ao ae * 7 ee Pa + ORE IRAP EIA 0 naa — P10" ine “piss, reir Tennessee has an epidemic of lawlessness directed at union organizers. Not only have local officers of the law failed to protect union men peacefully :. engaged in legitimate work, but in some instances have been implicated in ot these attacks. . eet Roane ‘County te ‘one of the Medieval “pad Liwicks of our nation. Since 1934 union men have been repeatedly kidnapped, beaten and jailed. The industrial “xi: corporations of the county control its police whoobligingly take part in beating : 7 “Ww up organizers. The most recent outrage took place September 25. Homer Wilson and Oscar Wilos left a union meeting in Narriman to returm to Knoxville. They sawa police car ahead of than as they left towmm. A few -}...miles out they saw this car's lights agnal two cars parked beside the road, one . ,,0f which they believe was another police car. The third car pursued them - vi. their car and tires were riddled by bullets.’ Halted, they were forced from their ear into the pursuit car by five men - one masked — | whose pistols they say were bs, id ‘N38 ‘police specials.* Driven to a remote spot they were tied to trees, their clothes cut from them, their bodies fearfully beaten, then tarred. Their captors told thom, "we're not going to have the CJO over here; we are organized politically and, by God, we aA, jare not going to pay no northern wages in Roane Guntry." ye 7 In South Fulton, October 10, a large threatening mob caused Palmer Pinnagar, «apm Amal gama ted Clothing Workers representative, to.seek protection in the City Hall. i When the Mayor made the crowd and Pinnegar leave the building about 2 A.M., he iio ewas taken across the state line to Fulton, Kentucky, and made to give up his brief €. cases and papers. Thovgkh he was threatened with death if he failed to produce : names of workers who had signed union cards, his appeals to officers for protection ‘were in vain, . In Sparta hast spring leading citizens took Ed Blair of the Amalsamated ‘ from hie hotel room, carried him out of town and warned him not to return. When a I was there shortly afterwards to see some of these citizens,ane of them, a bahker, “he told me that local people must sometimes take law into thelr own hands, even "* Federal law, and that vicilantes serve a useful purpose. . There are other cases of this kind. Failure to apprehend and punish per- sons who violate state and federal laws is encouraging frosh outbreaks. The i; only remedy is for the Department of. Justice to take steps to show that civil , liberties must be maintained in Tennessee. Io any, sgh 4D d9 street yrs ‘iin opY | yep 996 AY Satie - , oe - - . _—: oe, " ae a