The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-14
were going to prevent them going in
for reform.
Educating Rank and File

, for reform.
Educating Rank and File
Mr., B. Pohl. Mine workers Union,
mentioned the Importance of educa-
ting the rank and file, including
number of young Wutchmen who had
just come into the trade union move
ment. One of the great stumbling
! blocks In their progress in industry
was the color question and he was
against being organized in company
with the negro.
| Mr.. Greylay, Mine Workers Union,
said the first step to get shorter
| hours and standard wages for white
men, not kaffirss or coiored Inen,' He
spoke for his fellow Dutch workers.
| The white workers must organize.
/ They should endeavor to improve the
lot of the low paid men and thus
make then believe in trade unionsm.
The white workers should he on top
and the natives at the bottom.
Mr.. George, Reduction Workers
Association, said something should be
done for the small wage man. Over
time was the great curse they haG
todaytand SO per cent of the work
ing clHsses were willing to work over
time to get little more money.
Mr.. Cloete, Mine Workers Union,
opposed the idea the Internationalist
Socialist had of putting the native on
the same footing with the white man.
d said he hoped they would not
vote in favor of organizing the native,
Mr.. A. G. de Beer, Mine Workers
. Union, said they, as miners, were sat
isf'es that the moment new man put
his foot on the shaft he signed his
eath warrant very critical poin,
to his mind was how to organize the
different places in South Africa He
. regarded the sjambok AS a good Law
, for the colored man Nationalist
!. ton of industries should be demand
= ed.
. Mr.. J. Dickins, Reduction Workers
Industrial Union said they In Natal
and the Cape recognized that in IN
te'iigence many a native was equal tc
. the white. If those on the reef pu1
Z their white mark around them with
out taking corresponding protective
: measures elsewhere they left them
: selves open to the low paid factor out
3 SIDE In the native centers there was
more bitterness of feeling between
. the two colored elements than be
+ tween white and colored,'' and they
e must recognize that fact. 1t was moi
6 TIE organized native they had to fear
8 but the unorganized. Their RESPONSE
: hility in the native centers was tt
V rAise those people up to assist them
e and he claimed that they in the Cape
e Colony and Natal were building VI
!. the strongest case to protect the white
0 workers.
~ Organize Natives
s M. II. Brewer, Mine Workers Unior
said he came to that congress 10 figh
g the capitalist class, but found they hat
] to fight the International Socialist, He
wished to establish the color ban
\ Some people wanted to organize ths
e natives,
A representative OF the Amalga
o mated Society of Engineers deprecat
ed any attempt on the part of the
Z Miners Union to rule other assocla
! tons. "Amalgamated Society of En-
gineers is world wide and has no col
Or bar. We have colored people II
this country who are sane and respec
y table members of the .Amalgamatef
Society of Engineers and entirely
worthy. We must be careful how W.
! treat these questions OF the color bar
because there might be reaction TO
morrow. I suggest that the Rant
delegates be prepared to listen to wha,
.freople from other parts of the Unior
have to say on the color question. \
= representative OF the South African
a r legraphists ami TelephonistA Unior
i, pointed out 1t was more and more diff
, ficult to determine who were coloret
4 people at the Cape"