The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-09-03
BY BILL GEBERT.

ton, to organize broad influence OF the Party
over the masses of workers and into the T. U.
U. L. This, indeed, is the main task. How
ever, the Party is not sufficiently aware of
the Importance of this simple task. There is
a gap between the Party influence and the or
ganizational strength of the working class
As result of lack of organization, social
fascists and fascists are doing their utmost to
mislead the workers. We are not on the job in
organizing the masses. And when we are not
on the job this does not mean that the work
ers stop fighting. They carry on the struggle,
but we are absent in leaving them in their
struggle and all kinds of takers take advan
tage of our neglect, leading the workers into
the channels Of submission to the bosses. This
is true generally.
Build the Union.
Especially is it true in the coal fields of
Illinois Our general propaganda and agita-
ton for many months resulted that the miners
understake the struggle and carry on the work
themselves. Through the absence of the Mine,
Oil. Smelter Workers Industrial Union (for-
merly called the National Miners Union), the
miners have been misled by the fake rank and
file movement, or by the Howatt-Farrington
faction, or they still cling to the Lewis faction.
Despite the fact that we are Organizationally
not strong, our influence among the broad
masses Of miners is felt very much. The Ben
ton News local paper in South Illinois, in an
article entitled Communists Obstructing Prof
liable Operation of Mines" states: "a gloomy
outlook faces the coal industry of Franklin
County today as the forces of conservative
miners public officials and leading citizens
planned a cooperative effort to check the
wave of Communism that is spreading to every
shaft in this country" The bosses paper rec
ognizes fully the danger" of Communism
spreading to every shaft in this country" In
deed. this is the "man danger"
Miners, under the influence of our agitation
against the speed-up in the mines, under
taking the struggle against the speed-up.
There Is slogan among the miners in Frank
lin County-"Slow down on the job and put the
mines into slow motion" This method of
struggle against the speed-up system is so eff
fective that the Benton News, in said article,
admits as follows:
Zone of the plans of the agitators is to
make the of loading machines and con-
veyors impractical Many instances are re-
lated by coal operators where men on these
modern mining machines have failed to pro-
duce as much coal during the S-hour shift as
one man could load by hand. Agitators of
unrest are being sent into various coal union
meetings to the seed of discomfort among
the loyal miners, and the officers and citi-
zens jointly are alarmed over the influence
these handful of Reds exert over group of
men otherwise considered loyal and obedient
to the laws of their union and of their coun-
try"
Miners Resist
Many miners with whom | discussed per-
sonally related facts that the majority of the
miners in some of the mines in Franklin
County are in "slow motion" to such an extent
that the production of coal is decreasing stead
viii no obor Of min in
the mines are about the same. The miners
taking these methods of struggle are taking
the first steps in the fight against capitalist
naturalization IN the mines and mass unem-
ployment which is general throughout the coal
fiells of this country.
In other cases where bosses attempt to speed
up the miners, eliminating large numbers of
miners, the miners struck and fought against
it, There is a determination on the part of the
miners for struggle and they have no hope or
any illusions that Lewis or Fishwick will be of
any help to them in their struggle.
On the contrary. they look upon them as
traitors, msleaders, etc. Unfortunately, the
NJ. O. S. w. !. U. is not there as an organiza-
ton. These fighting miners are under the in
fluence Of the fake rank and file movement.
This rank and file movement, which held in
Beleville on August 26 so-called state con-
ference with the representatives of the Is local
unions, did not, as could be expected, take up
the struggle of the miners. According to the
lea Ter of this movement. Fussner, 'the rank
and file movement had been favored by many
operators
No wonder then that the struggle of the
miners was not discussed at this convention.
This rank and file movement received support
of Independent coal operators. just as the
Howatt-Farrington movement gets the support
of the Peabody Co. and the Lewis union re-
ceived the support of other coal operators.
Bosses Benefit.
All three movements are movements in the
interest of coal operators. The only decision
of the Belleville frank and file convention" was
that they passed resolution asking the secre-
tary Of labor, Davis, and Bill Green, fascist
president Of the American Federation of Labor,
to influence Lewis and Fishwick to resign
from their posts. In the meantime the rank
and file conference proceeded to set up new"
snion in the coal fields, selecting a committee
of three to prepare for another conference at
which elections of president, vice-president,
secretary, etc, will take place
There should be a clear understanding that
the so-called rank and file movement is not a
movement which fights for the rank and file,
but movement of Independent coal operators
led by several local union officials who want
the check-off for themselves and not for Lewis,
Farrington-Peabody unions.
Organize.
1t is clear that in this situation the main
task confronting the NJ. O. S. w. l. u. is Or
ganiza;on. 1t is unfortunate that many COM
rades in the field up to this time could not I'M
derstand why it is necessary to build an indie