The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-09
STEEL WORKERS
HEAR STORY OF
MINERS STRIKE
Toohey Brings Message
to Youngstown
BY WALLACE T. METcALFE
(Worker Correspondent

YOUNGSTOWN, o., Dec. IA good
sized audience of steel workers and
friends turned out to hear Pat Too
hey, progressive member of the
United Mine Workers Of America,
when he spoke here tonight. Years
Of youthful labor spent in the coal
mines OF Pennsylvania have given
Toohey clear insight into the prob
lens Of the coal miners.
Inferior Coal on Market.
Pointing out that the coal operat-
ors in normal times stored millions
Of tons of inferior coal which is now
being dumped into the eastern mar.
kets and sold at exhorbitant prices,
Toohey showed that the public" is.
being panhandled by the public" low
ing operators. The weak front pre-
sented by the officials of the United
Mine Workers to the operators and
their lack of presentation Of the prob
lens confronting the miners was
dwelt upon showing that the official
dom Of the United Mine Workers are
mainly interested in having the coal
operators agree to install the check
on system whereby the operators col
lect union dues from the pay en-
velopes of the miners.
Hours of labor, wages and the con-
tract system were treated at length
by Toohey and the ever-increasing toll
of life and limb resulting from acct
dents in the work day life of the min
ers was explained showing that in
their mad rush for more profits hui
man life Is the operators last consid-
GRAFTON.
The refusal Of the John l.. Lewis Of
hcialdom to consider ways and means
to protect the miners in safeguarding
their union by adopting progressive
measures places the union in a life
and death struggle with the operators,
with the reactfonary union officials
acting in unison with the police and
municipal authorities in suppressing
any outward manifestation of discon-
tent against the conduct of the strike.
''SH '"N0C QNGbcs
The fact that thousands Of union,
maintenance men are allowed to enter
the mines to keep them in shape for
the operators was pointed out as one
of the weak spots in the union egree-
ment. In some cases it has become
konwn that these workers are perform
ing other than the labor stipulated
in the union agreement.
The progressive demands for the
formation of a labor party, the am
algamation Of the miners, transport
and railroad workers, were explained
in full by Toohey and the confidence
expressed by the miners in the pro-
gressiyes accounts mostly for the
ruthless suppression of rank and file
meetings addressed by the progressive
leaders. Describing with much humor
the falling of Alex Reid and himself
for their activities in behalf OF the
miners Toohey made plain that the
jails of Pennsylvania are odorous and
that the coal barons and authorities
are common kin when it comes to
falling workers.
William ]. White, veteran member
of the Amalgamated Association of
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers Union
presided and urged for the united
front of labor in defense of the strik-
ing coal miners. White spoke upon
the conditions existing in the unor-
sanized soft coal regions and made
plain that the John L. Lewis official
dom of reactionary labor leaders
would betray the miners unless the
rank and file in the entire organized
labor movement supported the min
ers, and backed up the progressive
demands.