The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-07-20
Final Betrayal of the Miners


John L. Lewis and his henchmen of the
United Mine Workers Union have long ago
been exposed stark naked as traitors to the
coal miners of the United States. During the
past months there has not been a rag left to
tear off of these scoundres which could fur
ther expose them as outright agents and prac-
tically employees of the Mellon and other scab
coal barons.
Now the only remaining thing that could
happen has happened-Lewis and his policy
committee" have openly admitted in a pub
lie statement that the policy they are try
ing to force upon the bituminous miners is the
abandonment of the Jacksonville scale and the
surrender of the. workers of the entire coal in
dustry, district by district in separate agree
ments, to complete scab conditions. This
CHASTITY act of Lewis might be called stab in
the back of every coal miner of the United
States if it had any of the character of sur
prise. But The DAILY WORKER, the Work
ers Communist Party and the militant move
ment among the miners has long ago exposed
every detail of the aims and tactics of the
Lewis bureaucracy. Therefore Lewis state
ment issued Wednesday at Indianapolis can
only be called a confession to all the crimes
this corrupt strike-breaking gang was ac-
cused of.
What did we accuse Lewis of? We said he as
an agent of the capitalist class in general and
of the scab operators in particular, was aiming
straight for the smashing up of all of the union
that had any militancy, so as to reduce what
remained to virtual company union ruled by
the coal operators through himself. We said
that Lewis, while pretending to fight for the
Jacksonville scale "a pitiful enough aim), was
really manoeuvering to force the miners back
int cho1 nil of holo Tor
sonville scale. We said further that Lewis was
going straight toward the goal of a general
surrender of the principle and practice of
national agreements; that his real plan from
the beginning was to destroy the national front
of the union by jOckeying the miners in each
district into signing separate agreements of
abject surrender.
In the momentous statement at Indianapolis,
Lewis cold-bloodedly confesses to every. sordid
crime of which he is accused. Miners, accept
anything you can get below the Jacksonville
scale!-says Lewis. Give up to the bosses in
every district separately Don't even stand
together while surrendering, so as to get the
best terms that defeated army can get, but
divide up into separate districts and flee before
the enemy as a disorganized rabble! This is
the counsel of treason offered by John L. Lewis
and the United Mine Workers Union to the
COAL IuluGTS!
But The DAILY WORKER has something
entirely different to say to the coal miners
Lewis open confession must be made final
signal of warning to the coal miners of the
entire country that any further delay or hest
tation in rallying to the construction of the new
Mine Workers Union can only result in the
entire destruction of unionism in the American
coal industry.
Miners! Long ago you have been warned
that the United Mine Workers Union has been
destroyed as a labor organization by the
systematic treason Of the Lewis bureaucracy.
Lewis and the shell of an organization to which
he cllngs with the help of police, company gun
men and bosses, can lead you nowhere but to
destruction.
Prior to this latest confession, the more mill
tant sections of the old union have been on
the march toward the building of the new Mine
Workers Union. District after district has
discarded the company agents who were acting
as officers of the union and have taken steps to