The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-03
"The National Conference Calls for District
Conventions to Drive Out the Traitors
From the Union"

handing an honest and militant lead
crship, organization of the morgan
lied, the 6-hour day and 5-day week,
determined fight against wage cuts,
a national agreement for all coal min
ers, labor party, naturalization of
the mines, state relief for unemploy-
ment, etc. 1t called upon the rank
and file Of the union to put this pro-
gram into effect.
The Save-the- Union Committee put
ticket in the field, in the 1925 union
elections, headed by John Brophy.
This ticket undoubtedly secured ma
iority of the votes cast. But Lewis
and his agents in the various districts,
true to their policy of suppressing
democracy in the union, unblushingly
stole the elections, maintaining them
selves in office in plain violation of
the expressed will of the member
ship.
Next the opposition sought to put
its policies into effect at the 1926 con-
vention of the International, only to
encounter the same Mussolini-like
suppression of democracy by Lewis
Machine fake delegates were packed
into the convention by hundreds from
all sorts of blue-sky locals. Opposi-
ton delegates were either unseated,
beaten UP, or terrorized into silence
by Lewis sluggers. The convention,
completely dominated by the Lewis
clique, was the most reactionary in
the history of the U. M w. A.. With
the union confronting a life and death
struggle, Lewis made the central is
sues of the convention the question
Of raising the already over-swollen
salaries of himself, Murray, Kennedy
and his friends and a ruthless fight
against progressive measures in gen
eral
The Save-the-Union movement next
sought to hold the union together by
Organizing the unorganized and by
developing the present struggle into q
real strike. But here again it met
with iron resistance from the Lewis
machine. Lewis and his crowd des-
perately fought against the applica-
ton Of anything resembling a progress
sive and militant policy. The results
we have already seen.
Miners. Take Control of Your Union
This brings us squarely to the major
task confronting the miners of this
country. The power of the Lewis
clique must be broken. The rank and
file must take the union into their
own hands. The corrupt Lewis ma
chine, which is a sort of decayed crust
at the top of the union, must be re-
moved from control. Failure to do
this promptly and decisively will sure
ly involve the destruction of unionism
among the coal miners.
The situation is this: The union is
in the most serious danger. The Lewis
administration, tools of the operators.
stubbornly refuse to take the element
airy steps proposed in the program Of
the Save-th Union Committee, which
are absolutely Indispensable for saw
ing and rebuilding the union. More
over, by the complete suppression of
union democracy through expulsion
blacklist, stealing of elections, pack
ing of conventions, armed terrorism
etc. they balk the will of the ran
ord file in selecting new and honest
leader hip and putting the progressive
program into effect. The union is in
IN 9cute stage Of emerFen@v. Dr9eti
methods are necessary to rid it of the
baneful Influence of the Lewis re-
dictionaries.
Therefore, the National Save-the-
Union conference, representing the
great masses of organized miners,