The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-21
GALS Chief
LABOR SKATE
BANS STRIKE
LewiS and Operators
Keep in Touch
BY THOMAS MYERScOUGH.
Especial to the DAILY WORkER.)

NoPSSldl 70 TIC OAlLf WOhNEn.J
WILKES BARRE, Pa, Oct. 20
Only few hours passed be-
tween the calling of a general
strike of the Glen Alden Coal
company properties, by the gen.
eral grievance committee of the
local unions attached to these
mines and the publication of a
lengthy telegram from John l..
Lewis, international president
Of the United Mine Workers of
America, to the effect that the
strike was illegal and that the
men must return to work.
The strike was ordered by the gem
eral grievance body at a meeting in
Wilkes Barre on Saturday afternoon.
but the Sunday morning papers car
ried a lengthy article built around
Lewis Telegram and a statement by
District President Cappellini, order
ing the miners employed by the Glen
Alden Co. to disregard the strike or
der. Lewis order dated at Spring
field, ILL.,; was in response to a wire
from a high official of the coal COM
pany, which indicates the very close
connections held by these people.
Lewis Close to Bosses.
If Cappellini's statement is to be
taken at face value, then It. is ap-
parent that Lewis was in receipt OF
the news regarding the strike order,
even before the president of the dis
trict who lives on the ground, so to
speak.
That the miners employed by the
Glen Alden have just cause to take
strike action no one will deny, for there
have been grievances galore during
the past three months, and the slow
process employed to adjudicate same
has more than worn out the patience
2 Of the men affected.
In spite of this order, the mines of
this company were nearly all idle
Monday and Tuesday, while the Of
ncials have ordered special meetings
to enable them to assemble the rank
and file and urge the return to the task
of piling up profits for the coal barons.
While the men responded to the
strike call in large percentage, it
is conceded that they will return Just
as quickly, with few exceptions, and
punishment of the Lewis kind will be
summarily dealt to those refusing.
Discharged Without Cause.
We can well ask. what are griev-
ances to Lewis, when the coal COM
pany profits are temporarily stopped?"
For it matters not that men are dis
charged without cause, or are, by one
of the many tricks employed, forced
into the army of the unemployed
without the formality of being fired.
This kind Of a thing is what the strike
order was based on.
OF course, the vice-president Of the
coal company, in a statement made
public Monday, admitted that there
were men who were not employed,
but that the company was doing its
best to take care of them. The fact
is that there are all kinds of wrongs
being perpetrated by all the coal
companies, and when it takes a couple
of months to get even a hearing on
the grievances, it not to be won
dered at when the men decide to go
on strike.
Defending Coal Lords.
Cappellini knows this, for he is the
one who was most instrumental in
forming the general grievance bodies
and for that very reason. With him
tho it is different now He is just as
eloquent as Lewis himself in defend
ing the coal lords against the things
that completely stop their profit,
even tho there are none so adept at
game as he was when he was engaged
in his fights with former president
Dempsey and later with president
Brennan.
This region, because of the many
wrongs perpetrated against the min
ers, is famous for such strikes, SO
much so that Lewis sent a commits
sion of international board memb ers
down here to threaten the men against
local strikes, and the coal companies
have not failed to take advantage of