On this day in 1898, the Battle of Virden began when armed members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) surrounded a train full of strikebreakers and exchanged fire with company guards. 13 people were killed, dozens more wounded.
After a local chapter of the UMW began striking at a mine in Virden, Illinois, the Chicago-Virden Coal Company hired black strikebreakers from Birmingham, Alabama and shipped them to Virden by train.
The company hired armed detectives or security guards to accompany the strikebreakers, and an armed conflict broke out when armed miners surrounded the train as it arrived in town. A total of four detectives and seven striking mine workers were killed, with five guards, thirty miners, and an unrecorded number of strikebreakers wounded.
After this incident, Illinois Governor John Tanner ordered the National Guard to prevent any more strikebreakers from coming into the state by force. The next month, the Chicago-Virden Coal Company relented and allowed the unionization of its workers.
“When the last call comes for me to take my final rest, will the miners see that I get a resting place in the same clay that shelters the miners who gave up their lives on the hills of Virden, Illinois…They are responsible for Illinois being the best organized labor state in America.”
Mother Jones
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Weed is legalized where I live and yes, it becoming dominated by corporate interests is an issue, but I do NOT miss putting up with dealers. Gotta hang out for an hour and toke if I just wanna buy an eighth or “oh yeah I’m just around the corner” sent 45 minutes ago
Yeah for real. Usually this guy is reliably quick and the trade off is he charges way too much but i guess not everyone is perfect. This is maybe the second time he’s been this late in like a year
I’m split. It’d legal here but the prices aren’t competitive and from wastewater studies we’ve been the most stoned province in the country before legalization, so everyone already had dealers. The stores charge twice for a oz than you could get elsewhere, ignored the 3/$25 rule so the smallest amount they sell is 3.5g for $35 damn dollars. An oz is $60-80 nowadays elsewhere.
If nothing else, The Cannabis Act drove prices down for mids.