The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-19
Continued from page u

Not only is It impossible for the
hard coal diggers to accept these
terms, but their very lives and the
life of their union depends upon a
militant struggle to get their demands
granted in this strike. Already the
coal barons have forced down the
standard Of living OF the bituminous
miners with the help Of shifting oper-
atoms to non-union fields and by con-
Quoting a huge campaign against the
union miners. Now that this campaign
is so well under way, the operators
are concentrating a huge drive on
the hard coal miners aimed as much
against the union as against their
standard Of living.
Young Miners, How Does This
Affect Your
How does this present struggle in
the anthracite affect the young min
era?
In those fields where the union is
strong and the conditions Of the min
ers are best, the young miner finds
himself equally well of. For example,
in the Illinois district all young work
ers in and around the mines with
the exception of the trapper boys on
mule haulage in a few of the small
est mines) get full pay and the min
ers refuse to allow any discrimina-
ton against the younger workers
either in the way Of lower wages or
worse working conditions.
But as soon as there is any fore
ing down Of the standard of living as
there has been in the bituminous
fields and in the anthracite, the young
miners will be among the first to
feel It and will be the first ones the
operators will discriminate against.
Not only this, but lowered wages and
worse conditions for the miners force
more and more Of the youngest work
ers into the mines and factories when
their fathers can no longer support
the family alone on the small wages
Of a hard coal digger.
Young Miners! The fight in the
anthracite is your fight. You will be
among the hardest hit if this strike
is not won. Get into the front ranks
with the fighters, and not only see
that this strike is won, but make sure
that. you will get your share of the
victory and equal wages for equal
work once the strike is over.
For a Standard Wage.
While Lewis and other fake lead
ers OF the United Mine Workers have
been busy compromising every strug-
gle of the miners for small wage in
creases (as in 1929 one Of the great.
est evils for the miners, especially
the young miners, has been left I'M
touched. This is the chaotic system
of scales" which has been in effect
since 1900 in the anthracite. All
the wage advances Of the anthracite
miners have been based on these
scales and the operators have had a
good chance to do lot of Juggling of
+. wages and have been able to discrim-'
mate against different groups of min
ers whenever they felt strong enuf
to get away with it.
These scales are of great danger to-
the young miners. They offer the
coal barons an opportunity especially
to discriminate against the young
miners, often paying him much lower
wages even when doing the same
work as an adult miner. =
Young Miners! Fight against these
scales in the anthracite. Fight not
only for the increases but keep up.
the fight along with the progressive
miners for minimum wage Of $40 a
day for all miners at the face, wheth-
or they are young or old.
For Real Solidarity.
The anthracite operators are the
best organized group of mine own
ers in the whole world. Anthracite is
completely under the control Of a
small group of capitalists made up OF
a combination of banks, railroad COM
panies and coal interests. Eight huge
corporations OF. this type control more
: than 20 per cent OF the anthracite