davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
Nilitancy of Illinois Miners Is Rising

rock with veins of clay spread in be-
tween, making it difficult to load
clean coal. If as much as handful
of clay appears with the coal on the
surface the miner is locked, the first
time so cents, the second time 81, the
third time So, repeated again it be-
comes cause for a lay-off. The COM
pany decides and the man has no
show.
In Springfield is located the head
quarters of District No. IL. The ma
chine, as the staff of officials is
called, has spacious offices in the
miners building, but the rank and
file miners don't go near it. The
Save-the- Union issue has drawn a
sharp dividing line. 1t is the thou
sands of rank and file coal miners
versus the operators with the ma
chine desperately trying to put over
the operators policies as exemplified
in the separate agreements.
Some Deserters.
The machine is worried at the
rapid, tremendous growth of the Save
the Union movement. Several Of the
machine men once posed as progress
sives; now they cannot even hang on
the fence but are compelled to take
their stand. They all joined with the
reaction. There is Gus Fritz, board
member, once posing as a progressive
now hanging on to the job with the
rest of the machine. There is Allan
Haywood, board member, once posing
as progressive, and elected as such,
now defending the Lewis policies. Joe
Loda, board member, also tried once
to pose as a progressive. He never
knew much about anything. Recent
ly he lead the gang in the slugging
attack upon Joe Angelo, the secre-
tary of the Save the Union Commit
tee, in Springfield streets. Hind
marsh, the sub district president,
(once posed quite successfully as a
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10

Now he goes all the way
down the line with the district ma
chine. Thus effectively he supports
the Lewis policies as we'll as the cor
rupt Governor Small republican poll
teal machine.
Miners Closing Ranks.
The Springfield miners are closing
their ranks in the Save the Union
movement. The machine fought it
tooth and nail, even bringing in po-
licemen to one local union meeting to
keep the progressives down. The
rank and file elected fourteen dele
gates to go to the great Pittsburgh
national conference but there were no
finances available. When the time
drew near for the delegates depar-
ture, something had to be done, and
it was done. The miners were poor
and starving, yet the active members
went out to the miners going from
house to house and in one day $257
was collected. Everybody did their
bit and the delegates went to Pitts
burgh.
Militancy in Taylorville.
This used to be progressive sub
district. Brophy received an over
whelming number of votes against
Lewis in the last election. Yet with
the scarcity of available organizers
it was difficult for the Save the
Union committee to give the favor
a b1a captiroopt ~, fbic c,,h DISTRICT or
ganized expression. That is until
Fred Bode, local coal miner, took
things in hand. The fact that he had
the CUTS to stand up and fight for
the interest of the rank and file de-
veloped the movement rapidly, but it
also earned for him the bitterest en-
nifty of the machine. They dubbed
him the "Iron Dictator" of Taylor
vile.
Fred Bode, picturesque figure
looking somewhat like the generally
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
Salary Buying
Loan Sh arks
Are Exposed

The latest group Of "loan sharks"
to be exposed in the investigation
now being carried on in the New York
State courts is the group Of SALARY
buying" brokers. This investigation
was brought about by complaints of
the Brotherhood of Railway Train
men and the New York Central Rail-
road. They charge that railway men
had in many cases pledged their
wages to pay back loans at usurious
interest and as a result of the conse-
quent annoyance to the company were
dismissed from the railroad.
This SALARY buying" which is
definitely illegal, is a type of lend
ing whereby loan shark will give
worker 500 today in return for his
next weeks $25 salary.
State Attorney General Ottinger
announced that all persons who are
under contract to pay usurious rates
of interest or have already paid them
within the last year should bring suit
against the company Immediately.
Most of these borrowers, however, are
workers who would find it impossible
to retain lawyers to fight to regain
money already paid to loan com
panies, many of which are no longer
in existence.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10

determination. They are getting set
for the fight.
The miners are marching from the
camp TO the nearest town. There is
going to be meeting in the biggest
hall, called by the Save the Union
Committee. Maybe when they ar
rive the hall will be closed to them.
1t is the work of some of the machine
henchmen. But it does not matter,
the miners march on to get hall
in the next town. Their meeting will
be held, nothing can stop it.
The miners are marching to the
left. They now follow the lead of the
Save the Union committee. 1t is a
great movement sweeping the coal
field. There is hope in that move
ment.
Before this movement began in IL
linois most of the miners were think
ing in terms of accepting wage cut.
The operators demanded it. The
union officials, true to their role of
traitors, propagated the acceptance
of the wage cut. Nobody had any
other solution to offer. There seemed
no other way out. Now this has all
changed. Every coal miner now
speaks of how to prevent any and all
separate agreements how to join most
effectively in the national strike for
national settlement. The Save the
Union Committee has shown the way.
Fight On In Springfield.
Going down toward the southern
part of the state one will find Spring
field the first important mining CEN
ter. Here are fourteen mines of
which only nine were working prior
to April LIST. Those working, the
men complained, were terribly over
crowded. Doubling up everywhere,
cutting down the earnings of the min
ers. One miner told me he had
drawn $18 for five days work.
Here the coal is shot out of solid
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
Huge Bank and Coal Combines Are Increasing

the merger of II mines valued at
$40, 100000 in Eastern Kentucky. This
follows the recent S500,0000O0 coal
combine in the Pocahontas and New
River fields Of West Virginia.
Mining Trust.
The consolidation of the mines is
made with a view to reducing pro-
duction costs and increasing profits.
The individual operators whose mines
become part of the combine are
transferred to the RENTER class.
They are given stock to equal the
value of their particular properties.
The consolidated enterprise is run as
a unit and is really under the domino
ton of the richer and more powerful
operators. Government support is ex-
pocted by the mine capitalists. One
of the leading operators arranging the
merger, All Atlas, issued statement
in which he said:
"Having succeeded in grouping in
dividual properties, the government
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10

accepted version of Buffalo Bill. Sixty
two years old with a splendid fight
ing record amongst the coal miners,
Fred Bode helped to build the min
ers' union from it's inception. He con-
siders the United Mine Workers his
child. When I met him he discussed
the ailments of this child. He spoke
slowly and calmly, putting away on
his pipe, now and then showing
twinkle of youthful keenness in his
eyes.
"Well," he proceeded, "the machine
accuses me of wanting to destroy the
union. Destroy my own child? No,
but it is sick; it needs medicine which
will again make it healthy and vigor-
Gus, and am going to help admins
ter some"
There was a meeting in Kincaid,
which is part of the Taylorville sub
district. Joe Angelo, secretary of the
district Save the Union Committee,
came to speak. Progressive miners
were invited and about $50 of them
appeared, mostly Italians, eager for
the fight. In came also the district
board member, Allan Haywood, and
the sub-district president, Glasgow.
They had no interest in the meeting.
They did not dare to stop it and so
they thought only of interfering as
much as possible. Both continued to
ask questions intended to sidetrack
the real issue. They were accorded
the floor until Fred Bode, who acted
as chairman, thought it was going
just bit too far. He said to Allan
Haywood: "Now you have had the
floor little bit too much and l am
going to apply one of Lewis famous
convention rules-You popped up and
you popped down, but the next time
you pop up again you will be popped
down." Haywood said nothing fur
Their but Fred Bode now carries the
distinction of the Iron Dictator"
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10

will have tc assume its share of the
responsibility to keep the industry on
healthy basis by giving full power
to the interstate commerce commission
or similar agency to decide when and
where new mines shall be opened"
Monopoly on Coal.
The operators look to their executive
committee in Washington to aid them
in developing few large coal COM
bines which will have a monopoly on
coal production in the United States
and which no doubt could deal "prop-
erly" with the miners.
Recently in an entirely new field,
the retail distiibutive, a gigantic
chain-store system was initiated. Even
under territorial difficulties in the
United States huge bank combines are
made involving branches with scores
of branches. With squirt in the in
ternal development of the imperialist
base comes pressure on the external,
world activities Of American imperial
ism.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
By LOUIS sISSELMAN.

From all I have witnessed in the
last years, I can safely say, that it
is the Pioneers that can most delight
a Communist heart. In them one sees
the picture of the future"
These are the words that Comrade
Bucharin used to describe the Pho
neers, in a report on that phase of
work which he gave at tire 18th Con-
gress of the Russian Communist
Party in 1924. He stated further:
"The future belongs to that class
which can win the children theological
""
IN Soviet Russia, where workers
rule prevails, and where the educa-
tional institutions are under the con-
troll of the workers, the children are
brought up in the spirit of Leninism,
in the spirit Of international workers
solidarity. In the capitalist countries,
or tho other hard, and especially in
the United States, the symbol Of I'M
rerialism, all efforts are being made
BY the ruling class to raise the youth
tFfl'ff INC III lucICG VI CdpiIoiloli.
The ruling class understands, and
n very conscious Of its interests. 1t
knows that the child Of today is the
worker of tomorrow, the worker who
viii be harnessed to the wheels of in
dustry. The capitalist class realizes,
therefore, that it must raise the child
70 be obedient, and fit tool, that is
on unresisting one, for exploitation. In
this lies the double Importance of win
ring the workers children for the
;'7~ class.
To win the children ideologically is
Important not only for securing the
future of Ire working class, but also
Tor involving the children as an aid
IL the daily class struggle.
On many occasions the children UNI
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
Lewis' YELLOW Dog Pledge

Time and again we have pointed that the policies of John
Lewis of the United Mine Workers Union
are policies necessarily him ally of the operators
against the mine workers and against the United Mine Workers
Union
Nothing shows this any clearly than what Lewis doing
regard the relief of the starving mine workers families
This traitor Union is only minimizing relief that the
mine workers could receive from many sources put ne Trying
especially to shut off the most effective source OF ree tna
poured into the mine fields through the Penns
vania-Ohio Relief Committee.
addition Lewis resorting to other forms of strike
breaking traditional with scab operaorshe has through his
henchmen been circulating yeowdog pledge forcing mem
declare their loyalty to his machine and
dating their connection with the Committee
Thus at every turn John L. Lewis shows himself to be
agent the operators and not of the United Mine Workers.
Lewis only real function with the United Mine Workers Union
Is as an agent Of e onerators His hold on the organ
zaton secured by notwithstanding utilized to prevent relief
through the machinery of the Union reaching anything
like adequate proportions This gives the of starvation
into his hands, which he with the ruthless cruelty
scab operator would use it, and with the same fectO weaken
the strike.
When the workers. desperation build up their
relief organization so as to bring food and clothing to their fam
lilies and enable them to fight the operators Lewis through
his inspired newspapers controlled by the operators
denounces the Pennsylvania Ohio Relief Committee.
When the miners begin to repudiate treachery,
resorts "yeow-dog list that Don Chaplin of
Logan County would envy When the miners ba at the yellow
dog pledge Lewis resorts to the methods of the coal and iron
trying the families from their homes
where the coal and iron police have thus far failed to
pIish it.
CT Lewis purpose mainly directed stopping
the operators know it. If the workers throughout the United
States support the pckene by sending enough food and
clothing to the miners the miners will win.
Lewis wants stop the pcketng; therefore Lewis will
resort to stopping food that is coming to the miners.
The of the working class to this piece of fiendish
cruelty and strikebreakng the part of Lewis must be-
Support the Save-the- Union Committee!
with Lewis yeow-dog pledge of starvation! Send
contributions to the PennsyvanaOho Relief Committed!
John L. Lewis must go!
The fight of the United Mine Workers Union to rid itself of
this agent ceners in the emergency district
ventons to be held all districts Feed the
boost the emergency district conventions to get rid of Lewis
The United Mine Workers afford this strike
The strike be The miners be fed and Lewis
must go!
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
The Future of the Working
Class Belongs to the Children

der the leadership of the Pioneers have
called school protest strikes against
the cossacks-like action of the police
against their striking fathers and
mothers. Influenced by their school
mates, children Of strikers, the child
rem Of the scabs would come home and
beg their parents to leave, and to stop
scabb.rg lit helped!
In the mine areas today the strug-
gle is bitter and sharp. There,
tco, the action of the children is a
symbol of solidarity with their strik-
ing parents. The children of the scabs
are despised and hated by the strik-
crs' children.
The latter will under no circum-
stances ever sit on the same bench
with scab child. And many a time
more active and demonstrative action
is taken against the scab children.
even when the teacher is looking. The
work Of the children is so effective
that the coal barons found it neces-
sary to hire bandits to fire machine
guns into class room full of children.
Many time a workers morale is
broken because Of the suffering of his
children in the time of strike. But
when striker comes home from the
picket lire or Jail, and finds his child
rem are with him, he will continue his
fight and he will be inspired towards
victory.
The children are attracted to the
cpiate movies, the press-especially
the "jokcs," which are bits of propa-
ganda sugar-coated. The children are
attracted into military organizations
in the schools, besides having other
forms of such training. Children are
urged to join the various jingoistic,
and anti-labor children organizations
such as the BOY Scouts, Girl Scouts,
Naval Reserves, etc.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
BY IuLIuS CODKIND.

A good line on the inherent
strength of our Party and the politi-
cal vigor of the American working
class may be gained from a study of
the election returns of 1924.
La Toilette Betrayal.
Fresh from the betrayal of the
Farmer-Labor Party movement by
the Fitzpatrick Nockels and the Ma
oney-Starkey-Cramer groups, to-
gether with the betrayal Of the prin-
ciple of independent political action
by the Conference for Progressive
Political Action &C. P. P. Al fol-
lowed by the reputation and final
disruption of the Farmer-Labor Par
ty by La Toilette, the Workers Party
found itself faced with the necessity
of hurriedly placing a ticket in the
field to help crystalline the idea OF a
"class" labor party as against the
"classless" third party of La Toilette
and the A, F. Of L. bureaucracy.
The Conference for Progressive
Political Action, which finally nomin-
ated La Toilette officially, had open
ed it's convention on July 18th and it
was not until the last spark of hope
for a labor party in 1924 was finally
extinguished that the Workers Party
was able to announce the nomination
Of Foster and Gitlow as the standard
bearers in new struggle for labor
party.
Already it was too late to file nom
nation papers in many of the states.
Preparations had nowhere been made
to comply with the varied provisions
of the law in the different states. 1t
became necessary to make hurried,
haphazard study of the law and at
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
BY HARRY CANNES.

Two bank mergers and big coal
combine, involving in all S1,310,000,-
600, within the space of a week, in
dictate recent squirt in trustifica-
ton.
Billion Dollar Bank Combine.
The. largest of these is the billion
dollar consolidation of the Bank Of
America, the Manufacturers Trust
and the Bank of Italy, the details of
which are practically agreed upon.
The Bank of Italy has the greatest
number Of banking branches in the
United States. The other bank
fusion comprises the Peoples State
Bank of Wayne County (Detroit),
and the Wayne County and Home
Savings Bank. The first of these
banks has 90 branches, number
which is exceeded only by the Bank
Of Italy.
''Poor marketing conditions on high
volatile Goals in the east" is the ex-
cuse given by financial papers for
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
By ARNE SWABECK.


Five months ago when the District
u temporary agreement was signed
jointly by the officials of the mine
workers union and the coal opera
tors, the "Illinois Miner" official or
gan of the Lewis ishwick machine,
heralded the dawn Of new day. The
Illinois coal miners were pictured as
marching to the sweet tunes of the
mine whistle armed with a full din
ner pail. Work was to start up
again. Prosperity was to enter all
the little shacks which the coal min
ers call homes.
Results of Betrayal.
1t turned out differently. Only a
few days work each pay day. The
grocery bills could not be paid. Many
men found their wages garnisheed.
Starvation stalked the field. The Il
linois miners found that this tenn
porary agreement, including the load
ing machine contracts, spelled the
loss of all the conditions gained
through hard struggles Of the past.
The Illinois miners were taken out
of the fight. Their Pennsylvania and
Ohio brothers were left to battle
alone. 1t pleased the operators, they
had everything to gain. They could
concentrate all their forces on smash
ing the union in Pennsylvania and
Ohio and later the turn would come
to Illinois. The union officials had
done splendid service to the operators
and were able to pocket their Judas
share.
Illinois Now Militant.
Again the Illinois miners are
marching. They are fast becoming
disillusioned from the prosperity
pictures. The betrayal through this
district temporary agreement is now
clearly recognized Their faces show
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10

In the light of the difficulties en-
countered, the results achieved were
splendid, and are an indication of the
tremendous opportunity lying before
us if we will enter seriously into the
work and make it the chief campaign
OF the party in the coming months.
Great Opportunity this Year.
This year we have the opportunity
to accomplish most of the preliminary
work of gathering signatures and
holding state nominating conventions
to file our candidates during the
spring, thus enabling the Party to
conduct a real campaign during the
whole of the fall and summer.
Our first task is to put the Party
on the ballot. To the Is states where
we were on in 1924, we must add at
least the following "a.
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West
Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan,
Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, New
Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Ne
braska, Idaho, Oregon, Arizona, Ne
vada, California, South Dakota.
By June LIST, and with an early re-
Spouse from the membership in the
drive to raise funds to put the Party
on the ballot, we should be enabled
to spring few surprises by putting
up ticket in some of the southern
states, such as Arkansas, Louisiana,
Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Flor
ida and South Carolina.
Put the Party on the ballot!
A quarter of million votes.
Five thousand new members.
A vigorous campaign that will
stimulate the growth of a labor party.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
Walker to Convert xxx

ATLANTA, Ga, April 9-The
coming to this city of Mayor James
J. Walker of New York to deliver the
principal address at the unwilling on
Stone Mountain of the equestrian
figures of General Robert E. Lee is
said by labor observers to be part
of the hopeful Tammany Hall pro-
gram to win over the Ku Klux Khan
elements who are now opposing Gov.
AL Smith for president.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10
Be Placed on the Ballot for 1923 Elections

tempt to file candidates. Valuable
months that might have been used to
conduct the campaign were spent in
the rush to secure signatures to petit
tons or in the hurried organization
of state nomination conventions to
place our candidates on the ballot.
Vote in 1924.
When finally the time was up for
filing, we had succeeded in gaining
place on the ballot in Is states but
there was only one month left to car
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-10

ry on a campaign. In doing this,
even, our Party had performed a
seeming miracle. Still it was out
done by the workers who rallied
splendidly to the support of the move
ment and the campaign, so that when
the vote was finally reported, it was
found that 34,0S9 votes had been
counted for us, distributed as follows:
Massachusetts ................ 2637
Rhode Island ............ 289
New York S244
The monitor., 1928-05-11

to ask questions, and even then many
of the students were unwilling to go.
In the evening Professor Carver
spoke at the B. Y. p. U. meeting,
and next morning, on invitation of
the chemistry professors, gave a lee
ture to all the chemistry classes. At
Techers college, Harrisonburg, he was
heard by $50 young women who are
preparing to teach. These expert
ences are illustrative of the extra
ordinary impression DR.. Carver made
wherever he went. The newspapers
everywhere were most generous in
their comments. Many of the insti-
buttons are asking that Professor
Carver be sent back for another Sc
ries.
The tour was arranged by Forrest
D. Brown, state student secretary of
the Y. M. C. A, who accompanied
Prof. Carver and looked after his
comfort.
The monitor., 1928-05-11

L. /. D., the F. o. R., the Civil Lib
critics bureau and the Federation of
Churches. Many Negro papers, no
tably The Monitor, many intelligent
and unselfish preachers and other Ne
gro and white leaders are its friends.
It has enrolled 5000 of the porters.
It can win without question if the
porters stick, pay their dues, are loyal
to their leaders and stand united.
Public opinion, without whose favor
no corporation can stands steadily
accommodating behind them. The very
claims of Vann that the company is
ready to dicker with other officers
than Randolph (if true), reveals the
fact that the company is weakening.
The movement can win and will win
if the members play their part. If it
fails, that failure viii be disgrace to
the porters and a blot against its
Negro opponents.