The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-12-14
MINERS Give FIRST ANSWER TO +
HOOvER'S FASCIST COUNCIL PLAN
Shows Workers Militancy Rising; Won't Stand
Quietly Under Increased Exploitation
Find All Misleaders from A. F. L. President
Down Helping Bosses Strikebreaking

workers and our party were in an
open struggle with southern fascism.
Our reply is the reply that Lenin
made to the renegade Kautsky:
"Capitalism of the pre-monopol-
istic era, of which the seventies of
the last century were just the high
est point, was, in virtue of its fun
damental ECONOMIC traits (Which
were most typical in England and
Amerlca), distinguished by, compar-
atively speaking, greatest attach
ment to peace and freedom. AS
against this, Imperialism, that is,
capitalism Of the monopolistic era,
which has finally matured in the
twentieth century, in virtue of its
fundamental ECONOMIC traits, dis.
tinguished by least attachment to
peace and freedom, and by the great
est development of militarism every.
where.
Especially In the field of the class
struggle is suppression of the mas
ses by military means the main
method of American imperialism.
This is the meaning of the sharp
ness of the class struggle in the
Illinois coal fields. The presence
of our Party in the front ranks is
proof of the rapid rehabilitation of
the workers. The greater it's in
fluence the greater the guarantees
OF victory for the struggle.
Our Party has not underestimated
the will of the masses to struggle
or the ripeness of the situation as
a whole. But it has shown certain
weaknesses in agitational and Or
ganlzational preparation which we
must admit to the workers and which
must be corrected speedily. To our
critics of all shades, who may take
some comfort from our admission of
these errors we can again quote
Lenin: ..e -,..u.
The real test of serious work
ing class party is its ability to
recognize its own errors. admit
them, seek to analyze the causes
and correct them.
In Illinois we have not taken suf-
flciently energetic measures to over
come passivity and pessimism. to
actually prepare for the struggle
we knew was developing. We have
been too tender with vacillating ele-
ments inside and outside of our par
ty. Almost six months ago we
adopted a correct program of action
but we did not stay on the Job until
it was carried out.
Instead of having week to pre-
pare for the strike after the call
was issued, we should have issued
the call, as was planned, at least
three months ago. 1t can not be
denied that in the Illinois coal fields
our Party came very near to being
behind the miners-in other words.
our organizational and agitational
work was so weak that the rank
and file, unacquainted with and con-
.sequently unable to understand our
strategy, was developing a move
ment practically independent of our
party and the national leadership of
the NMU. The militancy of the
miners was outrunning our organi-
rational preparations although our
theoretical understandings of ths
developments was entirely correct.
Some Lessons.
The Illinois struggle should be a
danger signal for the entire Party.
1t illustrates in the most striking
manner the fact which Lenin never
tired of stressing: That in such
periods as this, when class antogan-
isms are sharpened to the utmost,
and when Communist Parties are
faced with the joint task of organ
izing the struggles of the masses
for elementary demands, and, TAX
ing as their basis the inherent DO
lltlcal character of these struggles,
the raising of the political level of
these struggles to the point where
at least the most advanced section
of the masses CONSCIOUSLY en-
cages in struggle for political de-
mands, effective organization itself
becomes a major political question.
1t is necessary now to bring into
the struggle in the sharpest manner
the question of the fight against
Wall Streets fascist program as put
forth by Hoover.
1t is necessary to stress in every
possible way the suppressive role
of the government on the basis of
the concrete experiences of the min
ers with these supressive measures.
| Extraordinary military mobiliza-
ton, the fascist united front of the
old union officials and their hang
ers-on with the government and the
coal barons, etc.
Withdraw Troops!
The demand for the withdrawal
Continued on Page Four