The daily worker., 1924-01-26
"Constructiue" Leaders


+ons of President John L. Lewis to the con-
vention of the United Mine Workers, 1t IS not
hard to understand why the capitalist press
is loud in its praise of his moderation ana
constructive" tendency.
BROTHER Lewis dealt neither with the Ques-
ton of wages or unemployment, but ne man
fully recommended an agreement covering a
period of years to replace the present yearly
contracts. From the capitalist press goes up
a howl of approval. Such an agreement,
peacefully entered into, would, according to
Brother Lewis, convince the national govern
ment and the public that the coal industry
twas making sincere attempt to put its
house in order"
The tender care manifested by union OIL
cials such as Lewis, for the dear public that
thinks of the miners only when they go on
strike is symptomatic of labor oficialdoms
attitude.
It visualzes the wage-earners as partners
in industry and believes that all the trouble
over wages, hours and conditions of labor is
due solely to misunderstanding. They have
not the slightest conception OF the real state
of affairs, which is that workers are, not part
ners in, but slaves of modern industry
They always challenge the corporations,
when the rank and file force them to fight, not
as workers, but as American citizens who are
being deprived of some guaranteed right
They make their fight on this basis, they or
ganize on this basis and on this basis the
Ssg,ygss of the anized labor increment has
steadily declined.
Brother Lewis infers in his remarks about
the industry putting its house in order that
the coal miners are in some measure response
BILE for the disturbances He is trying to
throw mantle of responsibility around him
self and his henchmen, place the blame Tor
strikes and so forth on the rank and file, IN
sinuate himself into the good graces of the
employers and capitalist press and lay a
foundation for long term agreements that the
employers will violate whenever the posi-
bility of so doing appears.
There is no question but that the United
Mine Workers face serious situation and that
the increased production of non-union COAL
the 60,000,0 900 tons or more in storage at
present, together with the thousands of un-
employed miners, make a strike ticklish
undertaking.
No labor organization, however, has sue
ceeded in strengthening itself by doing some
thing that the employers dearly desired, and if
the press is to be believed, the operators will
be quite willing to enter into longer agree
ment if no increase is asked.
The organization of the coal miners has not
been hastened by the attacks upon and expul-
sions of the more radical elements and right
now there is but one thing that will defeat the
plans of the coal operators for the destruction
of the union. That one thing is the extension
of the union to unorganized fields but so much
time has been spent in heresy hunting by
Brother Lewis and his administration, that this
important matter has been lost sight of.
We are afraid that the crusade against the
reds will not be taken by the operators as
evidence of virtue and that they will be just
as hard-boiled with the miners as they were
in the good old days when the United Mine
organization