The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-11-29

lishmen in the world war, that the
enemy population might be exter-
minated as a means of ending war
finds precursor in the argument
of Jim Vance, uncle of Anse, when
the Hatfields had their leading foes
surrounded, and were about to de-
clare a truce: 'ThisH go on again,
Anse . Let's shoot EN- an stop all
these hyar hard feelin's." You'll hear
that argument also, in the next
world war.
The forms of capitalist democracy
are part of capitalist society. They
meant nothing in the feudal period
in West Virginia, any more than they
do in the present general period of
approaching fascism. Both McCoy's
in Kentucky, AID Hatfields over the
Tug river in West Virginia, controlled
the local governments. Anse dictated
nominations by force Of the VIM
chsst rifles he could muster 70 back
up his candidate. Even the COVER
nors of the two states were involved
in the partisan war.
Then came the exploitation of the
coal fields. AS Spivak points out:
THE teeming civilization was in
different to faction and family. A
Mccoy could dig as well as a Hat
field, and feudists and sons Of feud-
lists found themselves burrowing in
the bowels of the earth. a job to
stave of hunger knew no distinction
of khan. -.
'Hatf1elds and McCoys who owned
coal found that their interests were
not the same as those of their clan
who dug it. A Hatfield operator had
more in common with a Mccoy OPP
orator than with Hatfield miner"
A good many of the worst of the
feudal killers be "a to WORK for the
Raldwin-Felts Detective Agency. the
operators private army. Among those
who killed for coal was Gap" Hat
field, the hero Of the clan in the war
with the McCoys. Organizers were
beaten up and murdered right and
left. Finally the Baldwin-Felds tried,
with Lee Felts himself leading them,
to kidnap and kill Sid Hatfield on a
fake warrant.
NYsir he
stated he would let the mine union
organizers in. Miners rallied to the
defense Of this Hatfield. When the
f1ve-minute battle was over, there
were thirteen dead. And a little
later Sid and another man were
politely summonsed to answer fake
charge in another county. Sid was
still unrealistic enough, still enough
of clansman, to think that because
he had been given safe conouct by
the Hatfield who was sheriff in the
other county he could go safely. Sid
and his friend came unarmed to the
court house of Mcdowell county, and
we're riddled with bullets by Baldwin
Felts gunner the Hatfield sheriff had
hidden in it for that purpose. If
blood is thicker than water" then
gold Is thicker than blood
CPIVAK'S book, beautifully printed
" tersely written with an eye for
drama and real understanding Of
the sociological factors. has one fine
chapter at the end on the Logan
county march Q92D, that much
overlooked bit Of American labor his
tory, where the eventual revolution
Is foreShadowed. 1t is a description
of incidents in the battle Of nearly
10000 miners, moving in military
formation against almost as many
mine guards, fighting for several
days duration on front miles long,
and winning. When the federal
troops got there and stopped the
fighting, the operators outfit was in
retreat with loss of AZ killed and
over hundred wounded-the miners
had lost six dead and two wounded.
Spivak does not do full justice to this
struggle, but then, nobody does, and
the book is mainly on the .feud.
Neither does space allow for more
of 1t here.
The clan war is over and clan 10y
alties have failed. In fact, things
have gone much further, and the
United Mine Workers, for which the
miners marched, has failed them Just
as badly. But the class war remains,
and under new leaders will go in.