The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-02-19
! BY HAROLD WILLIAMS.


THE recent strike in Illinois is an indication
= of the growing resistance on the part of
the toiling masses struggling for better work
ing conditions. This strike is the best answer
to the promise of John L. Lewis and William
Green to the Hoover National Fascist Council
that they, the Headers" of the American work
ing class would see to it that the workngmen
submit to the proposals of the ruling class
not to strike for better working conditions.
There are about $4,000 Negro miners in
Illinois, which include the Sangamon County
(Springfield) Saline County Harrisburg. Mud
dy) Randolph County, etc. In these places
Negro workers are openly Disseminated against
in the u .M.WA. AS for example, in Saline
County there are about twelve mines of which
& only four employ. Negro workers with one
third of the working force Negroes. Negroes
are denied the right to live in several of these
small towns. Our revolutionary trade union
has not raised sharply enough the question of
discrimination in order to demonstrate to the
Negro workers in the coal fields that rev.
dictionary trade union is unlike that of the
/, U.M.W.A.
Speaking to several of the Negro miners,
s they informed me that they have come in con-
tact with leaflets of the National Miners Union
as we'll as leaflets of the Communist Party.
Yet these Negro workers are skeptical' of the
sincerity of the N.M.U., stating that the U. m.
WA. also, has clause in its constitution that
it does not discriminate against Negro work
ers.
Build Defense Committees
This only proves that in our fight in organ
ling the Negro workers in the coal fields and
especially in our campaign against the Lewis
Fishwick machine which is in alliance with
the state apparatus, We must go from the
stage Of mere propaganda into direct organ
national procedure. in building defense commit
tees in defense of our organizers and especially
Negroes, as they are subject to the most brazen
attacks of gangsters of U.M.W.A., as we'll as
Of the state apparatus.
This was my experience in Saline County
in the city of Eldorado, twenty miles from
Kentucky was threatened at every moment
by, organized gangsters to drive me out of
town and to carry on a lynching-bee. But in
view. of the nilitancy of the members of
the N.M.U.I was able to remain in this town
although was informed that was the first
Negro that had lived in this section within
20 years. The last Negroes that were seen in
this town were murdered in 1900 and their
property confiscated by local business men.
What is true of Eldorado is true of many coun-
ties and in the surrounding territory where
Negro workers are to be found they are openly
| terrorizei and are subject to be murdered or
driven out OF Town II Cney are TO De 1OunO III
sympathy with the N. M. U. or the Communist
Party.
The miners in the coal fields are among the
most militant sections Of. the working class
These workers are SO exploited that they hardly
have second suit to wear. They can see
nothing but struggle and if we are able to
build functioning fraction within the N.M.U.
in carrying out the revolutionary tradition Of
the union, we will be able to build not only
the rN.M.U. in the coal fields, but the Commu-
mist Party into political factor in this, dis
trict Of Illinois. For example, the Pioneers Of
Illinois (Eldorado) are the most active sec
| ton of the Party and the N.M.C. In other
words they are the face of the Party, which
no one tried to deny. These young workers
| get up Is early as 3 or 4 in the morning to
60 on the picket line with elders to fight for
better working conditions. Despite the mill
fancy Of our revolutionary workers, they still
| lack q clear-cut understanding in approaching
the Negro workers, as for example, have
| heard many Of these workers speaking about
| Negroes openly using the term "nigger," which
| is offensive to Negro workers and could only
serve to keep Negroes out Of the N.M.U. This
| is . manifestation of unconscious white chauv-
inism which must be combatted in the most
~