Southern Illinois, perhaps more than any other location, had the best and worst of the U.S. labor movement competing for leadership of the class. The conflict between radical miners and the Klan for control of the Illinois coal fields was complicated by the splits within the left union forces, the John L. Lewis leadership, race, language, nativity, and guns. The birthplace of the Progressive Miners of America was also the hunting ground of the Klan, and long, roiling civil war within mining communities lasted two generations. Central to the miners’ cause were the Corbishley bothers. Here they organize the defense of their striking community in the company town of Zeigler one August night from a raid by Klan terrorists.

‘Armed Miners Defend Homes Against Klan Terrorists’ from the Daily Worker. Vol. 2 No. 191. August 22, 1925.

ZEIGLER, Ill., August 20.—With the whips of hunger, union blacklist of the Farrington machine, the menace of prison and even armed force, the dark forces combined in the coal operator Farrington-faker-ku-klux-klan conspiracy are trying to crush the revolt of the Zeigler miners who struck more than ten days ago against the illegal removal of Henry Corbishley and other local union officers by the traitorous officials, Fox and Cobb of Sub District 9 of the Illinois District 12 of the U.M.W. of A. Last night, Zeigler flew to arms after keeping all night vigil yesterday, when word came that the hated K.K.K. were about to stage a raid of terrorization to frighten the miners back to work in behalf of Farrington and the coal operators. All available firearms were pressed into service and dozens of miners were deputized by the anti-klan mayor, Murphy Smith. The long string of flats, the buildings where scores of miners’ families- live, were veritable barracks, with miners standing as sentries all night. Nor is this all play and practice for the miners’ vigilance had its resuit in the fact that the K.K.K., altho it sent scout auto cars into Zeigler, got cold feet when these scouts reported that the Zeigler miners were prepared to defend their families and their homes.

Refuse to be Terrorized.

The K.K.K. had gathered from four southern counties, keagles, kowards and all, to make a raid to terrorize the Zeigler miners and frighten them back to work. But they got cold feet, and this morning only a few men tried to get into the mine. There are 18 men arrested so far upon the warrants issued charging “conspiracy to murder.” Among these are Henry Corbishley, deposed president of the Zeigler miners’ local and a foe of the Farrington-klan machine. Others include Corbishley’s two brothers and Matt Crjnoevich, a militant leader of the progressive miners of this camp. The bail is set at $200 each, and Corbishley and his brother miners are now released. Other warrants are yet not served.

Set Hearing for Aug. 26.

The preliminary hearing is set for August 26. Attorney H.E. Morgan is retained for the defense. The spirit of the miners is running high against the labor fakers and the klan who have thus combined To intimidate and persecute them.

Warrants Sworn Out-by Labor Faker.

Farrington has declared in the public press that he will drive the miners of Zeigler back, work, and the attempted armed terror of the ku klux klan Is evidently his first effort. The warrants against the union miners were sworn out by one of the officials of the U.M.W. of A.—D.B. Cobb, vice-president of Sub-District 9. Cobb and Lon Fox, the sub-district president, are the original cause of the present trouble, as it was their successful stealing of the election last year which set every honest miner in the sub-district against them, but won to their side the bootleggers, K.K.K. and the secret forces of the mine operators.

Miners Organize to Fight Back.

The miners all over the state are organizing a demand for a special district convention, to clean house of all such vermin officials and to protect the union against election thieves and official disrupters such as Cobb, who has sworn out! warrants against members of his union. Resolutions are pouring into the sub-district office from the locals condemning this treachery to the cause of labor and demanding reinstatement of local officers.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924. National and City (New York and environs) editions exist

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