The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-28
By ]. LOUIS ENGDAHL.

By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL.
THE coal miners of ''the anthracite"
in Pennsylvania are in politics.
But it is the politics of the capitalist
parties. They are not in politics for
themselves.
1t was somewhat startling to me
to pick up a copy Of the Wilkes-Barre,
Pa, Record on the morning of cleo
ton day, Tuesday, Sept. 20, and there
find TWO rather large advertisements,
samples Of the divisions in the ranks
of the mine workers.
! One advertisement contained a
/ statement by Henry J. Mische, Presi-
dent of Local 1859, and carried the
heading, mine Workers Swinging to
Schuler," while the other contained a
contradictory statement signed by five
members of the same local union I'M
der the heading, Just a Boomerang!"
in which the rank and filers declared
the union els standing Loyalty for our
friend and neighbor, Daniel L. Hart.
1t is not unusual in other sections
of the country for the old party poll
ticians to organize their TRADE Union
Committees" usually consisting of
selections from the highest strata of
the official family, the higher the
better.
But in "the anthracite" as these
two advertisements reveal, the poison
seeps down into the masses, who feel
called upon to champion in the CAPT
talist press the candidacy of the old
party standard bearers.
l did not learn who paid for these
advertisements. They might have
been paid for out of "the money
barrels" Of the old party candidates.
Yet the workers might have been
foolish enough to pay for them,
hoping for their rewards" after the
election, if it terminated the right
way,
The official regime of President
John L. Lewis, in the United Mine
1 Workers of America, has always paid
I considerable attention to the pohti-
cal situation in Pennsylvania. After
supporting Cal Coolidge, the strike
breaker president, nationally in 1924,
being a member of the republican ma
tional committee, Lewis turned to
/ Clifford Pinchot, the alleged "pro-
/ gressive" in Pennsylvania, for gov
ernor. In fact, Lewis was hailed as
one of the possibilities" as repubi-
can vice-presidential timber in 1924,
and later as a probable choice for
| secretary of labor.
The day that arrived in "the an
thracite," Lewis was being widely an
nounced as the main speaker at
political demonstration being planned
for Daniel L. Hart, mayor and can
didate for reelection in Wilkes-Barre.
1t is interesting to note that Mayor
Hart was out to capture the nomina-
tions of both the old parties in the
primaries. 1t did not seem strange in
the coal fields that he should be run
ming on both the republican and
democratic tickets at the same time.
Stranger still, he won both nomina-
tions by overwhelming maiorities,
thus eliminating all opposition to HIM
self in the regular elections.
Lewis was announced as the main
drawing card for testimonial meet
ing conducted under the auspices of
ten local unions of the United Mine
Workers of America" Lewis didn't
appear. He sent the usual telegram
instead. A rank and filler from Local
Union No. 1888, acted as chairman,
and the usual keynote was, chat the
mayor had given labor a fair and
square deal and that labor, in turn,
owes the mayor the same considera-
ton in his campaign for reelection"
Among the speakers was John Will
hnson, president of District No. 81, of
the United Mine Workers of America.
This is the, Oklahoma district, where
the coal miners have suffered alike
under the clubs Of democratic and re-
publican regimes. But Wilkinson
urged" the reelection of Mayor
Hart. So did Rinaldo Cappelini,
president of District No. /, the
Wilkesbarre-Scra district in the
hard coal fields Thomas Kennedy. of
Hazleton, another hard coal center,
who is international secretary-treas-
urer of the United Mine Workers of