◆ SpookStack

JOHN Ls LEWIS, or. O I tame Elshoff. I went back up to the meeting and we . wala advieed the members that we couldn't find Elehoff. a -e ont inued) . While this was going on Snyder and his gang came ee inte the meeting and called us e bunch of scabs. ie He seid if we wanted to go back to United we oould. "The next day our committee vent to Mine B to see Elshoff. Wg couldn't find Elshoff but we talked to Oscar Falcetti. He told ue that there were tvo plans, one wae to open Mine A and the other was to heul coal through Mine Be Ve had another meeting thet afternoon. Ve held thie meeting at Iron Hell, on Monroe between 4th and 5th Sts. Ve vere afraid thet if we held the meating in the Progressive Hall we might heve trouble. “The night before we hed plcnned on not holding any more meetings in the Progressive Hell. I was scared to go back there. Thore were about one hundred members present at this meeting ond we told then whet Faleetti had seid. Beoause all of the men were not present we decided to call a meting the next day at the Elk's Clube ke I remembor, wa put an ad in the paper and there was & lot of the men nreeent, nearly al] of the membership. wos chair- man of the meeting. This, as I recall, was promcer of 1941. “Our cormittee told the membership what had hepoened in our talk of affairs with Feleetti. Two other things happened at this mcetings A motion was made to join United Tine Yorkers and this motion carried 100% by a standing vote, no one voting ogsinst it. Also, Rey Edmundson was esked to come over to our mooting ond he onne ovwre I do not knov who asked him to some over, He told us he wes gied of the netion we had taken. He scid he was glad to eco Illinois to-gether agcin, all the miners in one union, He talked cbout ten mimutes, tears vere in his eyes while he wes talking. “after he was through talking there was a bunch of member- ship cards and we a1] signed up for U.N.W. Before the meeting adjourned and before ve si ve had elected officers for our new Uslele loser. “i know thet this wae a eudden move, the men swinging to United ee they did. However, J wish to stete that there had been no plans made before this meeting to join U-M.W., Felcetti had not mentioned anything about any union and I guess the reason the fellows ~ 572 =