The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-10-31
The Colorado Strike Shows Up the Lewis Machine.

The Colorado Strike Shows Up the Lewis Machine.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing connection with the
Colorado strike W. w leadership is that comes at
when the ofcadom of the United Mine Workers has to
all ents and purposes surrendered coal barons in Illinois
has offered surrender Ohio and other central compe
titve field"
Bv surrender we mean that the Lewis which dom
mates the union has agreed policy of efficiency unonsm
will bring production costs for the coal barons the cen
trial competitive the costs the nonunlon
fields.
For the first time of the United Mine Workers
the wage rates in fields have become the standard
Instead of the union fixing the wage the nonunion ds'rc'S Tx
the of the miners.
These facts are by less authority than John
Leary special labor writer for the New York World who
is known in labor circles the semoca capitalist
spokesman WoI Green Lewis and Coespecay for Lewis
Writing in The World for Sunday, Oct 80 Leary says:
THE settlement Illinois PROVIDES FOR READ
JJSTIENTS ON MACHINE MINING THAT WILL
MAKE FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY AND A MORE
EVEN CHANCE TO COMPETE WITH THE NON-UNION
MINES OF WEST VIRGINIA TENNESSEE AND KEN
lucky The readustments reached in this field may we'll
be the basis for reforms in other fields.
It the above that maintenance of the Jackson
Vile scale meaningless formula in Illinois, that al
ready suffered actual reduction in wages an
that probability after next February this will be reflected
open cut in money wages
The conservative of the Lewis machine have been
responsible Normally the nonunon fields such as Colo
RADIO been affected by this defeat and Wage Wou
been the order of the day.
Instead this Colorado coal companies confronted by
the rising tide of miancy actually small INCREASES
in wages But stop the strike which has wrecked the
elor companv union thruout the Colorado fields and
bound encourage similar movements IN both the coal
and metal mining districts of the West and Northwest
Something of the the blow struck by the strike to
the Rockefeller PLAN be gmpsed from dispatch to the
Denver Morning Post from its Wasenburg correspondent VINO
"The Colorado Fuel and Company is holding night
" meetings in it's coal camps attempts to persuade the
miners to work. The miners are given assurance
of protection while in the mines if they will return
All enorts from Colorado agree on ponhat the strike
is the most effective history of the state in spite OF the
fact that the committee has strike funds and can pay
strike relief until funds sent in response to the appeal re-
Gently sent out
The Colorado strike gives genuine of the mitancy
of the coal miners proof of the fact that while the Lewis
has discarded the lighting tradl'oh ol e "io' e
rank and file have not
With CAPABLE honest militant leadership nationally with
the same determination organationa ability displayed IN all
districts as shown in Colorado with the tactics used Tor
i2tion drives in West Virginia Kentucky the United
Mine Workers would today the coal baron begging for
mercy would in all probability have added some ooooo
to the membership of the union
The coal miners are not afraid of radical" leadership The
contrary is the case been the fveear campaign against
the elements of the union which has brought the Oneo
Mine to the where IN former progressive
like Illinois efficiency unonism agreement can be put over
by the officials
The Colorado strike can not be separated the national
oolo of the coal miners part of that struggle and by
of its outstanding courage and ability in the face OF the
~ control Of the state by the Rockefeller interests should be
and can be made source inspiration to the miners In other
districts. - -. .,;o 4
what a cowardy corrupt collection OF bureaucras who
have their best to ruin the best and biggest union e
American labor movement
The rank and file United Mine Workers can save the
on v throwing to the miserable compromises OF the
offcs leadership setting up organization committees and
beginning drive into the non-union teds.
This seems to us to the immediate task of the left wing
in the union which be connected with the other
important organizing defense and relief on national
scale. 81, :, o, !, -,
official F of L. conference November IA must be made
bv the militant section of the miners and the rest OF the labor
movement genuine campaign to Save the United Mine Work
ers union and to defeat the coal barons