The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-10-16
Thugs, Spies
Serve Bosses,
Labor Takers
The press reports an attack
made by the police and 200
fascists on the Conference of
miners in Pittsburgh.

and railway stalls in the cities of
Europe sold small volumes with
gaily colored bindings: "The Ad-.
ventures of the Famous American
Detective Pinkerton."
These Adventures" had of course
nothing in common with truth. But
the famous detective" himself did
exist. He died in 1924, but his dis
ciples still live.
The Business" of Police.
The activities of Pinkerton and
his followers are strikingly and de-
finitely characteristic of contemp-
orary America, or, more strictly
speaking, of the United States of
North America. In the United
States, where money making" is
the object of everything, the police
too form a kind of branch of indus
try.
Numerous police undertakings ESQ
called offices), on the same footing
as the police, are engaged, not by
any means in the investigation of
criminal cases, as we are made to
believe of Pinkerton in his "adven-
lures" but form one of the main
pillars supporting the American
bourgeoisie in it's combat against
the labor movement.
These offices furnish the employ-
ers with agents and provocateurs for
spying on suspicious" workers in
their factories. They undertake the
murder of the revolutionists most
dangerous to the capitalists: the
workers leaders. When great
strikes break out, they provide the
employers with bands of armed
men, drawn from the hooligan class,
and ready to commit deeds of the
utmost violence against the strik-
ers. These same offices organize
special bands of armed roughs for
breaking up meetings, workers
gatherings, and conferences.
Hooligan Democracy"
1t was precisely by means Of
Adventures" of this kind, great
deeds" for the express benefit of
the capitalists, that the Pinkerton
office became famous. 1t is pre-
cisely this UNPUBLISHED robbery and
murder on the part of Pinkerton's
ruffians which forms the real char
acter of American democracy
The force which the revolutionary
mass movement in the United States
encounters, even in its very earliest
stages, is precisely this open brig
andage of the Pinkerton men, and
not by any means democratic lib
erty."
The miners conference at Pitts
burgh Capital of the state of Penn
sylvania), which was broken up in
a characteristically piratical man
ner only recently, was an important
turning point in the movement.
In the Vanguard.
The coal industry of the United
States, like that of England, is pass
ing through a severe crisis. In both
countries alike the employers seek
to overcome the crisis by blow at
the miners standard of living. This
is the reason why, in America as in
England, the front rank of the fight
ing proletariat is formed by the min
ers. The last one and half years
have witnessed heroic strike move
ments among the American miners.
The miners strike in Colorado, last
ing almost year, and the recently
ended strikes in the states of Penn
sylvania and Ohio, were of far
reaching political significance, for
they drew for the first time clear
dividing line between the trade
unionist masses and the compromise
loving leaders of the miners unions.
The obstinate struggle carried on
against the strikers by the union
president and fascist Lewis, and his
open collaboration with the employ
ers, have at last opened the eyes of
the miners to the profoundly treach-
erous nature of the policy pursued
by their trade union leaders.
1t is only to be expected that the
movement for the organization of a
revolutionary trade union, and no
less the growing influence of the
Communist Party among the miners
Especially in Pennsylvania, are
arousing the anxiety of not only
the bourgeoisie and the authorities,
but of Lewis. Lewis "took meas
ures." He adopted the methods of
the bourgeoisie. He fell back on
Pinkerton-that is, he let loose a
band of paid robbers and murderers.
Mysterious murders of revolution
airy miners leaders are reported
with increasing frequency. The muir
derers attack their victims in motor
cars, shoot them down with machine
guns; but there is mo trace" of the
enthusiastically enough, when
the state police and the murderers
have made common cause.
Some time ago Frank Bonita, one
of the most active revolutionary
leaders, was murdered in Pittsburgh.
Many delegates on their way to.
Pittsburgh were attacked by bandits
and injured. The conference itself
was dispersed by the police with the
aid of Lewis paid ruffians.
This unusually open alliance be-
tween the advocates of compromise
and the bol1rpeoisie on a common