The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-02-27
BY Alex Reid.
Secretary, Progressive Miners Com
mittee.

ceive the careful study of the miners,
not only in the hard coal, but in the
bituminous as we'll
The miners officials are already
making much Of the fact that the min
ers at the reconvened convention in
dorsed the contract, and it is well that
we examine the reason of the indorse-
ment, with the contract itself.
The miners after six months
strike, with but little financial aid,
many ofkthem receiving no aid what
ever, in semi-destitution, with every
agency of the opposition against them.
including the officials of the union
themselves, found that they could
hardly do anything else under the cir
cumstances but accept the proposed
agreement.
False Leadership.
T EFT no man believe for moment
II that the miners, in accepting the
agreement, thought they had received
what they were entitled to, or be-
lieved that they got what they could
have secured if the strike had been
properly managed. Far from it, the
miners know that the strike was mis-
managed from the beginning, and
thousands of discouraged miners ac-
cepted the agreement with the state
ment, that it is all we can get under
false leadership"
Five Year Peonaue.
THE miners have returned to work
4 in comparative quietness. AS the
miners prepare to go below there are
no smiling faces to be seen at the pit
mouth as are seen after a successful
battle with the operators No, the
miners are very grim looking, as they
go to work, and many of the miners
are heard to denounce bitterly the be-
trayal Many of the miners state open
ly that they return for a while to
make a few dollars but that they will
never accept the fiye-year peonage
contract.
Cooperate with Bosses.
One particular section Of the con-
~ tract is worthy of special atten-
tion. Cooperation with the bosses
for efficiency" A board is to be Gre
ated to study efficiency, and its plans
to be applied ''for the benefit of each
party" These efficiency boards have
prepared plans before in many parts
of the mining industry, but the re-
suits of the plans have at all times
made for more profits to the coal
barons at the expense of the miners.
The Introduction of machinery has
resulted in an addition to the unem-
ployment list, the miners have become
mere laborers to the machines, work
ing harder for less money. Their
working conditions have been destroy
ed, and with the new system of min
ing behind the machines, the old art
of mining is almost entirely gone,
with the miners as laborers to the
machines.
Efficiency in the coal mines of the
bituminous, under the Harrington re-
gime, for instance, has resulted in
many miners in Illinois being forced
to do the work of the day men, such
as setting OF timbers, cleaning falls,
laying track, ETC.. for little pay, and
in many cases for no pay at all. This
has resulted in lowering the wages
of the miners considerably.
Kicked Out Of the Union.
A S in the bituminous, so it will be
"A in the anthracite. Under a FIVE
year contract, the operators will have
time to change all working conditions
that they desire to change, and Will
kick all those out of the industry,
and out of the union, that object to
the change.
No man that has read and studied
the contract believes it will run five
years as written at the present time.
The miners will undoubtedly change
the provisions Of the agreement, IL
not by peace, then by strike. long be-
fore the five years are up. AS they