The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-22
NEGROES WON'T
SCAB; STICK TO
KANSAS U. M. WA.
Evicted Rather Than
Leave Mine Union
BY J. E. SNYDER.
Especial to The Daily Worker)

PITTSBURGH, Kansas, May TO-
Down in the Pittsburgh, Kansas, dis
trict, where they fight industrial court
laws, defy officials and reactionary
labor leaders alike, the negro miners
have demonstrated their solidarity for
unionism.
A year ago last April the IA Sher-
idan mine was shut down and an at
tempt to force the 1917 scale on the
Negroes, working there, was pegun.
They would not bulge, SO the claw"
was called in and eviction notices
were served, but the case was taken
to the courts and SOFT happened that
four different notices were served, but
the Negroes would not move from the
company house.
Negroes Refusesthe Halted Hook.
Each time a notice came the deputy
dropped the hint, that if they would
go back, as the company proposed,
and thus desert the union, they could
stay in the houses; otherwise they
would have to move
Unable to get them moved without
causing too much excitement in the
mining camps, the Sheridan Company
claimed to have sold out to the Doub-
leday Company and that the houses
were sold to real estate man by the
name of ]. Luther Taylor who, after
many threats, came with the claw"
and set the Negroes and their families
out in the yards Of eighteen Of the
houses.
A seab Company.
The Doubleday Company is the one
that has been trying to open up its
mines, nonunion, and against which
move Alexander Howat and Mat Walt
ers led parades of miners and stopped
the proceedings, the mine remaining
idle to this date with the Howat men
on guard.
Mat Walters is the newly elected
president Of this district and so far
shows some intention to resist the
wage scale cut. He has called a pio-
mic for the entire district to meet near
Crowberg next Sunday and there get
more unity for big drive to organize
the district. Many unorganized dis
tricts have asserted that they are
staying out because Howat was given
such a raw deal, but this, Howat is
urging on them, issfhe wrong attitude
to take, and to get in and fight for
the right to be heard and recognized.
Cannot Break Negroes From Union.
In regard to the Negro families that
were evicted, they have found refuge
with their brothers Of the union in
Crowberg, franklin, Pittsburg, Girard
and other towns. They are standing
just as solid as before and manage to
keep in touch with each other. They
say that the company can never force
them to break with the union nor the
scale and that it is their judgement
that the mine will stay closed down
until the owners see fit to sign up.
This stand of the, Negroes has done
huSA " DAAuS ACopcSt AOI lu6 race III
these parts. All over the district there
has been loyalty on the part Of the
Negroes and they have been loyal to
Howat in his battles, also.
A Plain Case Of Open Shop.
The company claimed that they
wanted to move the houses, but gave
themselves away by calling up the U.
M. w. Of A. Office and stating that
they would rent the houses to white
miners. The Negroes even offered to
buy the houses, but they would not
sell them to Negroes. They were To-
Gated in such way, that they inter-
fered with nothing and SO there was
no excuse whatever except to try and
force them to go back to work.
Who says that the Negro does not
make a good union man? Given half
a chance he sticks and fights without
compromise.