Jack Battuello Memoir #1 - University of Illinois Springfield

Jack Battuello
Q. Just organizing the march must be a fantastically big job.
A, It wasn't. You've got to recall that spirit I talked about that
pervaded the miners. The most wholesome, the most enveloping thing
you've ever seen in your whole life. I'm telling you, former enemies
were embracing and loving each other--carrying on something like
brothers. Actually, there were no secrets. If they had a half
pound of cheese, they shared it among five people if necessary,
Things they've never done. A11 greed, all selfishness seemed to
evaporate over nigh,t.
Q. Was this because you a.11 Felt like you were under the gun of the
United Miners?
A. Well, you see we had been 1-accrated with John ~ewis' destruction
of autonomy in the outlying states. This wasn't an overnight feeling
with the Illinois miners. We clccted our own officers. We refused
to pay dues to John Lewis when he tried to interfere and intercede
in our affairs. So wc'd go back to Fishwick and tka.t crowd and we'd
research that and lawsuits after lawsuits between the International
and United Mine Workers District 12 here.
And so that feeling of disloyalty that existed among the Illinois
miners, contrary to what feelings existed in other states toward him,
was deep seated at thc time when we seceded. The stealing of the
ballots just merely triggered things. Now, we did this, we remained
calm in the situation pretty much. We asked htm for another referendum
officially and pleaded that that was the only solution for this
stealing of the ballots. Of course, he remaincd adamant and stern.
Be said, "NO. Ir's an emergency. I declare it so and the $5.00
scale is in effect and all miners are asked to go back to work,"
Many years later on, 1 saw another incident of this spontaneous
jelling of the people in Spain; when Franco marched on Spain and h~
invaded the peninsula of Spain and finally got to the gates of Barcelona.
And there the people LOO, rose up, and almost defenseless,
almost painless, and without a friend in the world--including the
United States--almost pulled thac thing out.
Q. After the convention, what did you do personally to get ready
for the march?
A. Nothing. J~st put on my pants and shoes--all I had. Helped put
sandwiches i,n the car and joined that caravan just like the rest of
them,
Q, You packed food, though?
A. Oh, everybody packed a little food--what food we had. We didn't
have a hell of a lot .
Jack Battuello Memoir -- Archives, University of Illinois at Springfield