The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-05
ChOppy Waves Thru Lack
Of Unity Have Little Power
And Do Not Arouse Fear
By ]. LOUIS ENGDAHL


quiet days, when the seems almost calm, the
great ship rolls and passengers continue seaslck
and stick to their berths. At other times the huge
need show but little temper to force the great
est liners to pitch and toss The big has power
1t is little different here in the English Channel
The choppy and lots Of them. They send
peculiar SILVER thru the ship but that IS all The ocean
liner sweeps straight and sure along ITS course not
bothered to any great extent by the little waves
This may be a rather homely way Of continuing the
discussion of the development of the miners union in
the United States. But think it is fairly good IL
lustration of a point that have been continually try
ing to stress in these articles.
With the organization of the United Mine Workers
Of America in 1890, efforts made by the
miners to develop their "choppy sea" union, with its
local and separatst tendencies, into organization
having the power Of the heavng ocean. This was not
an easy task, has already been shown. 1t is task
that has yet been completed, clearly revealed by
the "choppy sea" policies of President John L. Lewis
today in dealing with the mine owners permitting dis
separate district and local agreements instead
of developing a unified movement to enforce the
tonal agreement on the coal profiteers.
The failure of the Joint Conference of 1889 to agree
and the disastrous results of local strikes in the spring
and of that year furnished the occasion for
calling interstate convention Of miners in December
consider ways and of dealing with competi-
tive conditions in Illinois, Indiana Ohio and Western
Pennsylvania. The miners invited to attend ir-
respective of union affiliaton he National Progress
sive Union and the National Trades Assembly No, 1885,
of the Knights Of Labor, still in eXstence) and
to represent these districts.
The convention was asked to formulate policy re-
garding reduction in the hours of work. limitation of
daily production general suspension of work stated
periods the time and methods for the introduction of
strikes, and the creation of defense fund to support
strikers.
Because of the over-development of the industry,
at that time it recognized that to shorten
the working day to eight hours would probably not
duce the aggregate tonnage produced. But it
thought that it would distribute the production in
IL.
increase the number of working days. absorb the surplus
labor and add to the health and comfort of the miners
was generally conceded back there in 1890, that
experience had proved that local strikes and strikes
during the spring and summer generally ineffec-
tive Local strikes placed dsproportionate burden
the few who fought the battle to maintain the wage
scale while the other districts went producing
A GENERAL STRIKE WAS THOUGHT TO BE
MORE EFFECTIVE IN ESTABLISHING UNIFORM
TIES AND RAISING THE LEVEL OF WORKING
CONDITIONS AND WAGES"
The elaboration over such matters the
ut of the bitter experiences under ruthless competi
zion.
/ Mt WAS AGREED THAT NO ONE OF THE
x-~EASURES CONSIDERED COULD BE MADE Eff
fECTIVE WITHOUT CONSOLIDATING THE MIN
Frs UNIONS AND INCREASING THE MEMBER
SHIP.
In developing this movement for the consolida-
ton of power the national organization of the United
Mine Workers of America, in 1891, sought to bring
about the establishment of the Interstate Joint Con-
ference But the Ohio and the Western Pennsylvania
mine the only to respond to the
miners invitation.
The miners asked for an increase of 10 cents per
ton and eght-hour day. They argued that the in
dustral outlook warranted the increase. 1t easy
to demonstrate from the figures of production that the
miners could produce all the coal needed under shorter
working day and regular employment They
pressed their demand for the eighthour day as mat
of greater Importance than increase in wages.
AS contracts in existence which would ham,
per their efforts to make the eighhour day universal
in the central competitive field they believed the time
particularly opportune.
Yet the mine refused to grant more than the
wage rates of the previous year, and expressed surprise
that the miners expected to the joint conference
q for settling anything but wage rates. They
took the initiative in moving that the conference ad-
journ.
1t was decided to call strike for May l. 1891, to
enforce the demand for the eight hour day and wage
increase.
However, it was discovered that there were still
lot of "choppy waves" in the organization, that mill
tated against united action A district convention in
West Virginia declared itself opposed to a strike, and
the Stratsve district of Ohio made an agreement TO
work at the old rates and hours
Upon consulting with the presidents of the district
unions the national executive board concluded that it
the dsafecon Of certain Districts the number of
organized miners and the inadequate funds in the
tional treasury. The strike order rescinded and
the miners in the various districts continued to work
under the rates and the conditions of their last agree
rierta.
There doubt considerable dispute to whether
this the best that could have been done at the
time At least effort to unified action was
put FORTH atho it remained practically gesture
II the first general eght-hour movement.
The movement to unity the policies of the various dis
cts during this period of depression greatly han
dicapped Of the 100000 miners in the industry in 1891
. 4 Al