The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-08-02
RANK and FILE
MINERS FORMING
RELIEF GROUPS
Officials Would Allow
Them to Starve

CHICAGO, Ill, Aug. 1.-The need
for relief among the striking miners
of the soft coal region is so evident,
says the Progressive Miners Com
mittee in its first strike bulletin, is
sued at 423 Belden Ave-, that the
rank and file of the union is going
ahead in some places to organize it,
in spite of the passively hostile at
titude of the administration of inter
national President John Lewis, of the
United Mine Workers of America.
Zeigler Men Help Themselves.
"For instance" says the strike bull
letin, "the miners of the Zeigler,
Illinois, sub-district, known thru the
union coal region as the most mill
tant section of the Miners Union,
have begun to assist their members
by buying $4,000 worth of flour,
bacon, potatoes and plain food neces-
stiles and distributing these to the
fifteen thousand striking miners,
with plans being made to give more
assistance after this is gone.
''In other sections Of Illinois scores
of local unions and many hundreds Of
miners families are demanding and
are in need of financial assistance.
The Indiana miners are sending COM
mittees to the larger cities for the
purpose of collecting funds from
other labor unions so that their fell
low workers back home can carry on
the strike. In Pennsylvania thirty
four striking local unions held a con-
ference at which permanent relief
organization was formed and appeals
sent to both President Green and the
general labor movement for strike re-
lief. Twelve box-car shipments of
fifty thousand dollars worth of food
stuffs were distributed to over fiji.
teen thousand union miners in the
Franklin and Jefferson counties in
the last week.
Twelve Cars of Food.
''The food was dispensed through
the various local unions affiliated
with the sub-district organization.
Long lines of miners with baskets
and sacks lined up in front of the
food ration stations on the days of
the distribution Of the provisions to
receive their share of flour, lard, po-
tatoes, beans and other plain food
necessities.
"The provisions were purchased out
of the funds that had been accumu-
lated in the sub-district treasury. A
militant fight had to be made in the
sub-district convention by the pro-
gressives before the sub-district Of
ficials would give relief.
"The twelve box-car shipment by
which the sub-district have arranged
to make the strike in the coal fields
less drastic is the greatest single
stroke the Miners Union has made so
far in combating the operators who
are trying to starve the miners into
submission. Every miner should de-
mand that John L. Lewis set up a ma
tional miners relief committee and
that call be sent out to the entire
labor movement to rally to the aid of
the striking miners"
Demand Officials Act.
After calling attention to these ac-
tivities of the miners in their own be-
half, the strike bulletin goes on to
say:
"These are only a few instances;
similar conditions exist thruout the
striking bituminous area Yet why
aren't John L. Lewis and the Inter
national officials considering this
problem of getting the support of the
American labor movement, when the
striking mine workers have sent in
many appeals to them for financial
assistance? Proper and systematic
strike relief can be provided for the
striking miners if the resources of
the Miners Union and the aid Of the
organized labor is modified. The
progressives and the militants in the
Miners Union must raise this ques-
ton and force John l.. Lewis and
President Green to get the whole
labor movement behind this life and
death struggle in the Miners Union.
"The setting up of national relief
committee, with general appeal to
the entire labor movement to aid us
in our struggle, means that the coal
operators cannot use the starvation
weapon against us effectively. A
militant and widespread campaign for
strike relief will strengthen our
ranks tremendously"