The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-18
UNEMPLOYMENT
RAvAGES The
Miners RANKS
Organization ShGckIed
by Jacksonville Pact

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The dark predictions of Frank
Harrington, president of the
Illinois district of the United
Mine Workers of America, have
been more than fulfilled. The
fear of unemployment, with its
accompanying terrors of hunger
and evictions, has been set up
in the hearts of the Illinois
miners.
Thousands of miners have
been laid off since May 1. Sales
men covering the southern Illi-
nois territory have transferred
to other states. Credit, ex-
tended by the southern Illinois
stores for several months past,
has been denied the starving
miners. The mining towns of
southern Illinois are Stunned
because of the contagious pesti-
lence Of unemployment.
Miner Not Migratory.
A miner is always a miner. It is
a well-known fact that the miner
raised from childhood to follow the
underground trade Of his father, is
not fitted for any other work. This
inability to go into other industries
makes the unemployment among the
Illinois miners more serious.
In spite of the propaganda in the
capitalist press that the miners are
highly overpaid, the facts are that
the miners, even when working, re.
ceive wages as low as those of other
workers. The United States Depart.
ment of Labor reports that the aver
age daily wage of the bituminous
coal miner is 1898. The aver.
age number of days worked, includ.
ing half days, is 1857, according to
the governments extensive survey
The possible earning of the bituminous
miner, the department of labor finds
is only $1,171. When the miners
work, which is a little over so per
cent Of the time under normal condi
tons, they earn an average Of only
SO cents an hour.
These figures were prepared in
1921, before the unemployment crisis
appeared. Instead of fighting to make
the mine workers union a force to
keep UP the standard. of living; in.
stead of fighting to make the oper
ators pay unemployment benefits, the
officials of the Illinois Miners union
try to cheaper production for the coal
operators.
The officials of the United Mine
Workers of America have continual
ly admitted their failure to stem the
tide of unemployment and to rebuild
the strength of the mine union.
Call for Unemployment Councils.
Now the Workers Party and the
Progressive Miners committee calls
for the immediate establishment by
the mine union locals of unemploy.
ment councils. The Workers Party
calls for the passing of resolutions by
the miners union locals demanding
that candidates for election as officers
Of district IL in December, pledge
themselves to fight for payment OF
unemployment benefits by the coal
operators.
LaFollette has ignored the unem
ployment problem completely. In
writing the labor plank in his plat
form, LaFollette dispensed with la
Dor with exactly 81 words, and failed
to mention the unemployment crisis.
Support Communist Candidates.
The Workers Party calls upon all
Illinois coal miners to join with the
rest of militant labor in support OF
Foster and Gitlow and the other Work
ers Party candidates who support the
immediate formation of unemployment
councils. The Workers Party demands
that the coal operators be made to pay
wages to the unemployed coal miners
who by their arduous and dangerous
labor have accumulated the profits Of
the coal operators.