The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-03-13
RANK And file
nFnHHnHMFFR RAE
REPUDlAIED BY
Lewis Takers
Refuse Seat to Duly
Elected UniOniSt

BELLAlRE, Ohio, March 11.-Th(
refusal of the tellers 20 declare John
Buksa, veteran coal miner, elected ia
the office of trustee, was upheld al
today's session of the annual eonven-
ton of the eastern Ohio coal diggers.
despite very strong opposition from
the rank and file delegates.
The Importance of this sub-district
to the Lewis machine here is attested
to by the presence Of Lee Hall and
his forces. Hall was in the chair
when the motion disqualifying Buksa
was jammed thru.
Ledvinka Attacked 5uksa.
A bitter fight occurred on the tell.
ers' report. Ledvinka, renegade so.
cialist, charged Buksa with villyfying
him, and with distributing Commun.
list propaganda. Buksa is partially
paralyzed, but this did not deter Led.
vinka from haunting him with the
ability to pass out Workers Party
leaflets. Costello. a delegate from
Buksas local, charged the takers with
attacking Buksa because he opened
the eyes of the workers. Buksa was
a member of the union for twenty
years, declared Costello. He took an
active part in the 1922 strike and
went to West Virginia when the big
fight was on.
Costello told how Buksa prevented
imported workers from scabbing on
the strikers and declared that instead
of Buksa being condemned for dis
tributing Communist literature he
should be honored for bringing the
propaganda of the Workers Party
home to the workers and bring them
the message of international soil.
darity.
An Old Veteran.
One of the arguments used against
Buksa as an excuse for declaring him
ineligible to Office after being elect
ed by the rank and file was that he
is not working at his trade. ]. ].
Hoge, asked. Ledvinka why this rule
did not apply to the cockney-visaged
monocle-eyed Ellis Searles, who edits
the Miners Journal, tho he could not
tell coal mine from a cess pool and
was not a union member. Ledvinka
did not reply to this query, but Roy.
one of the district office gang said
Buksa had no right to be a member
of the union, and should be distribute
ing the Miners Journal instead OF
Workers Party literature.
The morning session was occupied
with speeches by Lee Hall and his
good man, Roy, preparatory to open
ing fire on Buksa. Hall told of the
deplorable conditions in the mining
fields. Only one-half of the mem
bership in the Ohio district are able
to pay dues.
Roy attacked the progressives with
out mentioning names and charged
them with disrupting cAe union. In
ternational board member, Watkins.
talked on conditions in West Virginia.
He then Travelled to Nova Scotia and
lied about the progressive leaders
there. Watkins declared the radicals
forced a wage reduction on the min
ers. The fact is that the radicals
were removed from Office by Lewis
for resting the wage cut forced on
the miners by the British Empire
Steel company. Watkins did not tell
the convention that the miners Of
Nova Scotia kicked the stoolpigeons
Of John L. Lewis out of the district
at the first opportunity and elected
a complete progressive ticket to Of
fee. This same progressive leader
ship is now engaged in a mighty bat
tie with the great coal and steel cor.
poration.