The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-02-19
sy TOM BELL.


The tridistrict convention of the
three anthracite districts of the Unit
ed Mine Workers of America has
ratified the agreement signed last
Friday with the operators. This means
that as yet the hard coal miners are
fooled and forced to follow the lead
ership of John L. Lewis, and to &C.
cept even this agreement which ties
them up for five years without raise
in wages.
The strike Of the miners for over
five months was an indication of the
stubborness of the rank and file of
the miners union. Even tho the main
flamenco men remained at work re-
lieving the operators of all worry over
their property, and the miners in the
bituminous fields were working pro-
ducing coal which was used to render
ineffective the strike in the anthra-
cite-all this did not weaken the will
ingness of the miners to remain on
strike without funds and with relief
barely organized at all.
More Strikes Coming.
The triumph Of the operators thru
their good friend Lewis and his ma
chine in the union appears to be over
whelming to many. But the ive-year
contract is not worth the paper it is
written on as soon as the miners see
that to observe it means to sacrifice
their wages and conditions Of work.
The history of the anthracite is the
history Of thousands Of strikes in the
various localities, and the same will
occur during the coming five years in
spite of the contract.
This victory of the operators does
not end the fight of the miners against
their operators. On the contrary, it
will become an incentive to greater
struggles as the implications of the
new contract are put into effect.
Two "5Iaek Fridays"
The day Of the signing of the agree
ment has been labeled BLACK Friday"
quite correctly. 1t is just as much a
defeat for the American miners as
BLACK Friday" in 1921 was for the
British miners when the triple
alliance of miners, railroad men and
transport workers was smashed thru
the betrayal of Thomas, Hodges and
Williams in refusing to call a general
strike to aid the miners. At that time
the bosses in Britain gleefully predict
ed that this defeat meant the end of
trouble in the mine fields. The labor
takers hailed the dawning of peace
in industry" and Hodges, secretary of
the miners union, actually proposed
a ten-year truce between labor and
capital. BLACK Friday" seemed to be
a decisive defeat for the miners and
other workers.
But the further development of the
class struggle in Britain smashed
these predictions. The miners learn
ed the lesson of BLACK Friday" and
saw the necessity of removing Hodges
from official position in their union
to prevent a recurrence OF this defeat
with the result that A. ]. Cook, a left
winger, was elected secretary in the
next election against Hodges as a re-
preventative of the left wing. The
election of Cook was a symbol that
the British miners had turned to the
road Of class struggle instead Of CO.
operation with the operators.
The British "Red Friday"
In 1925 the British operators sought
TO repeat the performance of 1921 by
reducing wages. They were met with
the determination of the miners union
not to accept penny reduction. Not
only that, the officials Of the union
were the most militant and rallied the
membership for real struggle against
the bosses. They called for a united
front Of the railroad, transport and
mine workers against the bosses.
They visited Germany and other Eur.
opean countries and secured the