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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Feeling stressed? Love to dance? Come join us at the rave of the year.

Make a right just before the concentration camp of the subhuman people who we oppress and join us at our annual peace and love festival ✌️

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11 points

The Rave act spomsored by joe biden drove mdma out of drug markets leading people to use meth as an alternate party drig in this essay i will…

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5 points

They’re chemically super similar. I also genuinely prefer meth (not big on smoking it but will rail i

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Meth as an alternative to MDMA for parties is a microcosm of capitalism.

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5 points

Meth in pill for is a lot different from smoking crystal meth. Also chemically they’re almost the same thing.

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