The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-06-15


who have supported the infamous
contractor system by a murderous
reign of terror, are doing their deadly
work. The Brennans and Boylans,
who, while posing as progressives, re-
fuse to fight Lewis and the basic
evils in the union, are adding to the
demoralization.s The anthracite oper-
ators are now preparing to deliver a
deadly attack against the union,
either when the present agreement
ends or sooner.
The only possible conclusion to be
drawn from the situation is that the
UMWA is falling rapidly to pieces.
The Lewis clique try to explain away
the breakdown of the union by blam-
ing it upon overproduetion in the coal
industry. But this attempt is useless.
With proper policies the union could
have not only kept it's position in the
industry despite the coal crisis, but
us could have strengthened itself.
The collapse of the BMWA under the
attacks of the operators and the gov
eminent is the inevitable, unacceptable
result of the long record of treachery
and reaction of the Lewis machine.
Must Build New Union.
To rebuild the collapsing UMWA
into a powerful and progressive or
ganization is impossible. We must
build a new miners union. Expert
ence proves this. 1t is not possible to
have the UMWA, dominated as it ID
by the Lewis gang, adopt the honest
leadership and progressive policies
necessary to save it from the destruc-
ton to which it is now travelling so
rapidly. Democracy is dead in the
UMWA. The Lewis officials, tools of
the operators and hopelessly reac-
tionary, hang onto the union with a
death clutch, refusing themselves to
undertake measures necessary to re-
i vive the union, and, with the help of
the operators, blocking every effort
Of the rank and file to enforce the
adoption of such policies. During the
past two years the masses Of miners,
in the Save-the-U Union movement,
have demanded and fought for the
necessary changes in leadership and
policy. We have pointed out the dead
ly, ever deepening crisis Of the union.
We have carried majorities in union
elections and conventions. We have
held protest conferences in many dis
tricts, eliminating in the great con-
ference of 1925 delegates in Pitts
burgh, Pa. on April LIST, 1928. We
have initiated direct campaigns to or
lganize the unorganized into the
| UMWA. We have tried to extend
the present strike nationally so that
it might be won.
But all our struggles to save and
rebuild the UMWA have not budged
the corrupt Lewis machine. This
crowd of false leaders, supported by
the coal operators, cling autocratical-
ly to control of the union, in spite of
all rank and file efforts to dislodge
them. Their policies are now more
sreactionary than ever. They main
tain their control by terrorism and
corruption. Our warnings Of the dan
gerous position of the union have
been ignored. Our efforts to elect an
honest leadership have been defeated
by wholesale stealing of elections.
Shameful packing of the union CON
ventions with false delegates has
stripped the conventions Of all rank
and file expression.
Our efforts to organize the unor-
gained, to spread and win the BIZ
luminous strike, have been sabotaged.
Our demand for policy that would
build the UMWA into an organiza-
ton capable of defending the living
standards of ourselves and our fam
lilies has been met by organized cam
paigns of terrorism by the Lewis
forces. Our efforts to develop the
UMWA into fighting organization
have been resisted by explosions from
the union and blacklist from the in
dustry. After the April 1st Save-the-
Union Conference, many thousands Of
miners, many of whom have been on
strike Ia months, were expelled from
the union and deried strike relief.