The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-27
Miners ANNOUNCE
FIGHTING POLICY
TO Save union
Goal Digger" Carries
Program

An immediate program of militant
struggle is the keynote of the plan
adopted by the rising progressive
forces in the United Mine Workers
Union, according to statement of
policy printed in the Goal Digger"
new publication of these forces just
off the press.
Pointing to the present reality of
the dangers which the progressive
forces have for over a year been pre-
dieting the statement makes clear that
the Save the Union slogan of the mil
itants must Immediately be carried
into action if the organization of the
mine workers is to remain.
The Present Crisis.
"Our union is fighting for it's life"
the call reads. at faces the greatest
crisis in its history. We must win the
strike, save and build the union!''
No less necessary, the statement
announces, is the elimination of John
L. Lewis, president of the organiza-
ton, who is shown to be among the
factors chiefly responsible for the de-
moraliZation of the union. Lewis
Must Go" is the slogan.
Beginning with a picture of condi-
tons the statement reads:
six hundred thousand men, wom-
en-, and children-bituminous miners
and their families in Pennsylvania
and Ohio-are fighting with their
backs to the wall for the United Nine
Workers of America, their living STAN
dards and for the whole labor move
ment.
Faced By Slavery.
Our union is in the greatest crisis
m it's entire history. D.. The coal bar
ons are out to smash our organiza-
ton. They intend to bring in the
open shop with its most vicious fea-
lures, the yellow-dog contract, COM
pany stores, company money, and coal
camps ruled by company gunner.
They are trying to bring back the
conditions which prevailed before the
United Mine Workers Union was or
gained. .
'We can and we will win this strike;
we. can and we will spread the strike
and organize the non-union fields. We
call upon the entire labor movement,
upon all miners, organized and unor-
gained, to join in a powerful drive
against the operators; take militant
part in this struggle and bring it to
a victorious end. :"
In order to accomplish this purpose,
the program states, it is necessary to
the causes which are re-
sponsible for the conditions in the
union.
Reasons For Troubles.
1.-THE coal operators have been con-
solidating. Great mergers have
been taking place. We are now
compelled to fight against the most
powerful combinations of capitalists.
.
"The shifting of the industry to the
southern fields, the over-expansion of
the industry, the introduction of labor
saving machinery and new methods,
the spread of the use of substitutes
for coal---all these have been the ex-
cuse of the Lewis machine for it's own
surrender.
"a powerful union is the only cure
for the evils. The way to meet
southern competition is to organize
the southern fields and to raise the
wages of the miners there. The way
to meet unemployment is to establish
the 6-hour day and the 5-day week,
unemployment and accident insurance
to be paid for by the operators and
the government"
nt-Strikebreaker.
Pointing to the part of the govern
ment in the struggle by issuing in
functions, sending out its police and
state militia and the part of the Lewis
machine in assisting the government
to break the union, the program
charges the responsibility of these
acts chiefly to the policy of surren-
der adopted by the Lewis machine.
The corrupt officialdom is charged
with over dozen major crimes and
offenses. Evidence is given of the ex-
pulsion of miiitants, such as, Howat,
merely because Lewis had determined
to crush out all forms Of militancy;