The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-03-20
Mine DISTRICTS
ANSWERING CALL
"Save-the-U Union" Mes
sage EchoesEveryWhere
Especial to The Daily Worker. }

PlTISBU RGH, Ia, March lS.--
The call to the coal miners of tn,
unorganized districts issued by the
5ave-the- Union Commit ee of thc
United Mine Workers of America
urging them to elect delegates to the
National Miners Conference to b
held in Pittsburgh on April Is is
being re-echoed in every mine dis.
,rict.
In Fayette County, Pa, especially
The miners are rallying eagerly behint
me conference. For the first tins
since the greas betrayal of 1922
when John L. Lewis sold out the I'M
organized miners of the co.e-mining
fields, new wave of activity, new
spirit of struggle, is spreading fron'
camp to camp as the coal diggers of
Fayette Cgunty reply to the call u
he Save-the- Union Committee ano
prepare to unite their forces with
those of the rank and file of he
United Mine Workers of America.
Spread the Strike.
The Save-the-U Union Committee de-
mands the spreading of the Pennsyl-
yania-Ohio strike and the organiza
zion of he unorganized miners. Tha
progressive elements declare that the
corrupt Lewis machine will never
carry thru such tasA-that its his
tory has beer. a lblacl1 record OF
treaeherys~o the hhot slsized miners
None know this better than the
miners Of Fayetta County.
In 1922, during the great Goa
strike, when officials of the Uni ed
line Wor1-ers of merica came into
he coke region and called upon the
men to come out en- strike with THEN
brothers in the soft coal fields. be
cause vic ory depended on solidarity
very mine was smut down. The
miners of Fayette County stuck 1oC
per cent. Believing that here was ar
ernest and serious attempt to union
za he coal fields and break the
leadly grip Of the coal GENERATORS
lpon them, they floclled to the union
with a great hope and great vision
Lewis 1TeaclSrys
They stayed cut SIX months, eighi
mon ms, many OF taem even longer
a hen, wllen the operators were al
.nost beaten and az the point of sur
lender, Laws signed an agreement
With the coal companies in the
oicuminous fields, ana le1t GU. the
miners of Fayerte County. After
lighting bravery for many months
sneir srriAe was called OF and they
we're ordered back to work by tins
union officials wi hout conGrac.,
without a union. Despite this act O.
,raachery on the part of Lewis, many
IF the coke strikers refused to relur4
% work I'm il forced bac-s by hung r
The great opportunity for organi-
ng the coke mining fields was lost
10 baser act Of treachery blJts tn
record of John L. Lewis than this be
rayal of he miners of Fayette
County, betrayal which has cos.
he union dear.
Unorgan:zed Fields Ready.
Not only here, but in other unor-
ganized territories the response to he
AL of the Save he-Un.on Commit
ices grows rapidly. Committees nav,
oean formed in Herminie, Irwin, Iu-
-on, Expert and many other camp
n unorganized Westmoreland county
From West Virginia, where Lewis
has allowed the union to be almosi
completely smashed, and where he
miners earn as little as So and S. 9
Jay, reports come that the miner.
around Clarssburg, Fairmount, an6
1organtown are choosing representa-
ives to at end the National Confer
ence April LIST. The consolidation Of
he mines into a huge trust, now
.aking place in northern West Vir-
ginia, offers a new threa against The
miners which is again awakening
them to the necessity Of organiza
Ion,
The National Miners Save-the
Union Conference on pril Is vii
.ay the basis for a great organizing
campaign. In he slogans of Save
,he-Union, Spread the Strike, Or
ganize the Unorgani ed, Lewis Mus
Go, lies the hope of the miners in the
unorgan,zed regions. They are. Join.
ing with the progressive miners with
in the union to make he Nationa
Save-the- Union Conference a tremend
GUS, far-reaching victory for all the
coal miners in the coal fields-organ.
lied and unorganized alike.