The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-12-18
The Anthracite Miners and the
Revolutionary Union
BY BURCK

the signing OF the agreement the coal operators
are now taking HOO lbs. for impurities.
Galleries Being Mechanical.
The coming of the coal conveyor and the belt
system into the anthracite means going out of
the collieries for thousands of miners Take the
Birds Eye Colliery in ELEPHANT. Pa, where the
introduction of the coal conveyor has caused the
miner to load 6 cars of coal for 1928 where
formerly they loaded 4 cars of coal and received
$7s6, and caused the throwing out of the col
ieres of one-third of the miners.
Increased Terror.
1t is natural that hand in hand with the
worsening of the miners conditions and the in
creased desire of the miners to struggle if given
the proper leadership, goes the sharpening
terror. The operators are using every means at
their disposal to prevent the revolutionary move
ment to lead the miners in struggle for their
daily needs.
All meetings called by the Comm. mist Party
or by revolutionary unions, or the international
Labor Defense are smashed by the police force.
Even meetings OF such innocent" organizations
as the Lithuanian Literary Society have had
their meetings broken up, simply because once
Communist organizer was present in the hall
Another time because Bimba, a known Conlmu-
mist, was announced to speak, Now they are
using the method of instructing the owners of
halls to refuse to rent for any such meetings
The police are even terrorizing the only news
stand operator that carries the Daily Worker
for sale, threatening him that if he did not dis
continue selling this paper he would be driven
from his stand.
Reaction of Miners.
The reaction of the miners to this new sellout
has been from the very beginning one Of oppo-
stion At the Tri-District Convention held in
VII in,
fascist Lewis mobilization of his thugs and gun
men, and also the fact that there was no organ
national force of the revolutionary union, there
were 1919 delegates out of 493 voting against the
ratification of the agreement.
Throughout the anthracite local unions there
are resolutions against the check-off system In
Plains the entire local voted against the check
off system. In Olyphant IS per cent voted
against At the District No. Convention held
In Lansford last october, the delegates of many
locals were instructed to fight against the check
off system, and here the delegates threatened to
call run1p convention. The district officials of
the U.M.WA, sensing the growing opposition,
Immediately sent all of their forces to the local
union meetings in order to intimidate the miners
and thus prevent them from expressing their
dissatisfaction.
In view of the increased terror and also the
failure especially of our revolutionary union to
carry on enough organizational work to crystal
re this reaction into organized struggle the OPP
position did not take on any organized clear
cut form 1t was rather in most instances pas
sive resistance.
Unemployment Is increasing daily the cond-
lions in the mines are becoming unbearable
there is the introduction of the policy of firing
{ miners, and hiring new help. The U.MWA.
is more openly taking the role of company
union through the collection of the check-off by
the fire bosses, mine managers and even in some
instances the coal and iron police. All this has
definitely shown to the miners the role Of the
U.M.W.A. and now this opposition to the agree
ment is taking on new form, from passive re-
sistance to more active struggle.
Strikes are taking place in many collieries
in protest against the worsening conditions.
These local strikes are the foreruners of real
ass struggles in the anthracite.
The great danger that confronts the anthra-
cite miners and against which they must be on
their guard, is the petty CRATER officaldom, and
the agents of the Peabody Coal Corporation,
the harrington Fshwck machine OF Illinois, who
are trying to utilize this opposition in order to
mslead the miners A glaring example can be
seen in the action of Howes in the recent con-