The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-02
By NAT WATKINS.
cretary of the Miners Minority


\ ton in one sense, yet in another
very easy matter indeed, to regard
the Miners Annual Conference held
at Southport as anything but de-
feat for the militant miners, especi-
ally when the decisions registered on
the more important issues are con-
sidered.
A brief description of the nature of
the representation at the conference
enables one to find the end of the
thread before rolling it off the reel.
IN this occasion there were present
v $50 delegates from the various dis
tricts in the coalfields; on past oc-
casions there has been approximately
double that number.
The decrease did not in the least
effect official representation, the Of
ficials were present in full force; but
the cut was seriously felt by the
rank and file delegates, of whom an
insignificant number attended. The
arguments utilised by the officials
in every district for reducing the
number of delegates, was the eX-
IRENE financial disabilities under
which the districts were laboring. The
conference, therefore, can be classed
as purely official in character, as it
consisted of miners agents, executive
committee members, and checkweigh-
men, with only few delegates actu-
ally from the mines.
AGAIN, the method according to
IA rule) of appointing delegates to
annual conferences is what is known
as the "rota system, which means
that delegates are sent in turn to
conferences regardless of experience
or debating qualifications. AS re-
suit, their inexperience, and Gas is
often the case) obvious incapacity,
plays into the hands of the reactio-
nary officials to oppose Indirectly
measures which their districts have
agreed to support.
THE lead given in Smiths presi-
Dental address was followed by
the official element generally, with
the exception of Cook, S. 0. Davies,
and Arthur Horner (the latter an
avowed Communist and President of
the Miners Minority Movement, re-
Gently elected to the Executive Com
mittee of the M. F. G. B..
The vacillating character of Smith
was easily discernible in his dis
course. He inferred that the basis
of all future hope for the working
class is no longer the development
and perfection of the industrial ma
chine as the most powerful and eff
fective weapon that the workers can
WELD against the coal-owners and
capitalists generally, but urged that
implicit trust in a potential Labor
Government should be the alpha and
omega of our endeavours to solve
the colossal problems with which we
are confronted.
THE objectionable and deliberate
omission of any reference in his
address to the splendid financial
support rendered by the Russian
Unions to the British miners is char
acteristic of his vilifying attacks
upon the Minority Movement, the
Communist Party and the U. S. S. R.
The recent successes of members of
the Communist Party and Minority
Movement in the district elections
were the responsible generating fac
tors of his explosion of slanderous
abuse. The conference provided the
crater for the free flow of the molten
lava of official abuse which had been
accommodating for several months.
THEY fully realised that the Minor
ity Movement was not a spook
movement materialising when the
trained medium appeared, but con-
crete organization dangerously
threatening the citadels of reaction
and those whe defended them: no
longer a DOGGY to be laughed at and
ridiculed, but serious competitor for
the leadership of this great organiza-
ton.
In one of the open sessions Ito
which the press and interested Wis
itors were admitted) the conference
discussed pious emergency resolu-
ton protesting against the Trade
Union Bill, which reads as follows
Eve, representing the over
whelming majority of British
mineworkers, hereby emnhatically
condemn the Governments Trades
Disputes and Trade Union Bill
as reactionary measure aimed
at the liberties of the people and
with the badly camouflaged OBJ
ject of preventing further demo-
cratic, industrial and political
progresses.
owe, therefore, knowing by
history and experience that the
emancipation of the workers can
only be achieved by trade union
and political action combined,
urge the workers in all other in
dustries to unite with us to defeat
the operation of the nefarious
measure"
THE mover, Straker (Northumber-
a RI