The daily worker., 1924-10-27
On a Labor Faker's Trail

M ID IL B b
Those were harsh words indeed for
one official Of the u. M. w. of A. to
say of another No charge made by
the progressive miners against John
L. Lewis are more serious than those
made against Lewis by Harrington.
Yet these two labor agents Of the coal
operators and the republican party
have found It possible to bury the
hatchet in the body of the United
Mine Workers of America, which is
now bleeding to death over the wounds
inflicted on II by these two capitalists
executioners.
Case Of Hanging Together.
Harrington and Lewis can come to.
gether and forget the past because
they have a common basis for agree.
ment against their progressive oppo-
nents. Like the robber capitalist ma.
tions, who, tho always Quarreling
among themselves, unite at the first
sign of danger from the ranks of the
working class, the two rival "tuchuns"
Of the miners union can put UP a
united front in order to save their
Jobs out of which they can buy grand
homes, automobiles, orange groves
and shares in the coal companies that
are fighting the very union whose in.
terests they are sworn to serve.
AS Harrington retracted this charge
against T. L. Lewis, he also swallowed
his accusations against John L. Lewis
and those already given here are not
the, worst by any means. To use a
| popular phrase: "The worst is yet
to come"
Saved Walkers Hide.
II may be Of interest however, to
learn in whose behalf Harrington
claims to have retracted his state.
ments against T. L. Lewis in his writ
ten apology which was afterwards
used by John L. Lewis against him.
We have already shown in previous
articles that John L. Walker saved
Farrington's bacon on more than one
occasion. This pair evidently had an
entente or an understanding to come
to each others aid whenever the for.
tunes Of either one were in jeopardy.
1t was a sort Of "gentlemens agree
ment" something like the kind of a
secret agreement sometimes made by
capitalist nations with each other:
the kind that would not look so well
in print.
1t appears that T. L. Lewis had
something on John L. Walker in 1910.
Walker was then president of the Ill.
inois Miners Union. 1t is reported
that T. I. Lewis threatened to "get''
Walker unless harrington, Walkers
friend, withdrew the charges he made
against Lewis af the Belleville con.
vention and in writing.
Knew Apology False.
At the Oklahoma convention where
Harrington made the speech from
which the above quotations are taken.
he admitted that he knew the charges
made by him against T. L. Lewis were
false, yet he signed a complete and
unqualified retraction. Why? The
following reply does not answer the
question. 1t only raises another:
What had T. L. Lewis on John L.
Walker?
Harrington was asked by Delegate
Doyle, as the special Oklahoma con.
vention asked Harrington the follow.
ing questions:
Delegate Doyle: Referring to the
controversy that you mentioned in
your agreement in 1910, the retraction
that you made, were you not then, at
that time member Of the Interna.
tional executive board, when you
made that retraction?"
Harrington: yes"
Delegate Doyle: "And you made it,
did your"
Harrington: Eyes, sir"
Delegate Doyle: "In the interests
of John L. Walker?"
Harrington: "No. in the interests of
the Illinois miners"
Delegate Doyle: "John L. Walker
was president Of the Illinois miners at
that timer"
Harrington: an the interests Of
the Illinois miners at the behest or re-
quest Of John Walker, who was at
that time president"
Forgot His Promises.
The loyalty to the cause Of Alexan.
der Howat which Harrington so loud.
ly proclaimed at that time was soon
discarded. when the Howat case no
longer served his crooked purpose in