The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-02-26
Cappellini Again Fights Revolt
By Fred Ellis

turn its face more and more to the
anthracite. The expiration of the
five years agreement, due Aug. 81,
1880, will deliver death-blow to the
efforts of the gents t,
establish goodwill and cooperation
between the miners and the ope "a
tors. In spite of the pious wishes of
the DISQUALIFICATION agencies, the
contract Of 1926 will not be renewed.
Faced with a decline in production
(63 million tons in 1928 as against
65.6 in 1927 and go in 1926 and
with serious competition from soft
coal mined under open-shop condi-
lions, from oil, gas and other sub
stitutes, the holders of the anthra-
cite monopoly, q companies controll-
ing so per cent of the production)
will demand fundamental reduc-
ton of the production costs, tanta-
mount to the elimination of the
union.
In doing this, the operators will
go around very smoothly, trying to
avoid any disturbance" which may
effect the market, as happened in
the 192526 strike. Instead of using
the big stick, there is a slow, but
continuous Tightening of the screw,
cut here, a ''little" violation of
tie agreement in another section, a
gradual elimination of the union
control, badly felt by the miners, but
hardly noticed by the U. M. w. A..
bureaucracy.
In all these attacks, the Lewis
machine is ready and efficient tool
of the operators. Acting as brakes
whenever the miners revolt against
the rotten conditions, the officials
have expressed many a time their
earnest desire to maintain the peace
and harmony which exists today. The
organ of the coal-operators is justi-
fled in stating that Lewis, after get
ting his lesson in the soft-coal twill
afford real relief soon in granting
improved working conditions, if not
an actual cut in wages"
National Miners Union Must Lead.
Will the miners give in to the
united front of the operators, the
Lewis machine the press, churches,
bankers and other capitalist agencies
or will they resist and defeat these
sinister efforts by putting up hard
battle against all their enemies :?
The developments Of the last few
months, the situation in Pittston,
the many outlaw strikes called
throughout the tri-district, not even
mentioned by the newspapers, a
more open resistance to the ma
chine and last, but not least, the
existence of the National Miners
Union, and small but always grow
ing Left wing in the company union
are encouraging signs for the fu-
ture. The cosl-operators know this,
hence the re-emergence of M. Cap
pellini and many more Cappcllinis
as the fight goes on.
The work of the Left wing may
not be easy at the present time be-
cause of the terror and spy-system
of the company-U. M. w. A. forces.
But it is just their desperate fight
against the militants which shows
how shaky their rule is, how it is
lacking the support Of the masses.
The sharpening Of the struggle will
eliminate the fake, safety-valve
progressives and the fight will be
fought between the united company
Lewis-government forces on the one
hand, and the miners following the
National Miners Union on the other.
1t is the duty of every class-con-
scious work to support the National
Miners Union in this struggle.