The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-05
At the Natl Conference Of the WIR

Ian are being organized in an I'M
foreground way. They are flocking
to the N.M.U.
The active workers, prosecuted and
hunted, still posses that gay and
gathering hunor characteristic Of
Southern workers. They fight back
the bosses and their hired servants
and they "laugh them off" A Ken
lucky miner at conference is YER
liable miner of vivid pen-pictures
and sayings. ......... ---.r
1t is a horrible story the delegate
from Harlan tells. He speaks in
matter of fact tone. The miners
there. are not surprised. They are
just bidding their time and building
theri union. The coal companies are
fighting not only with the law on
their side, but with deputy sheriffs
imported from the gang land of Chi
cago. They also use moral weap-
ons.
Said the delegate: Religion is a
tickliSh question in Kentucky. The
companies have modified all the
preachers to fight against the Reds
and BolshevikS. The preachers go
around and thunder against the Red
menace although they don't know
the difference between Communism
and rheumatism"
The conference had its laugh.
To the voice of the miners are
added the voices of the other strug-
| Cling voices. The conference pro-
vided a common platform for the
textile workers of Paterson, Allen
town, New England, the metal work.
ers of Pittsburgh, Youngstown and
Gary, the unemployed, the oppressed
Negro masses and prosecuted foreign
born workers. The girl delegate from
the textile strike from Rhode Island
was cheered when she said in her
brief report:
"The workers In Central Falls
and Potosek Valley have not given
up their struggle. The fact that
many active strikers were held for
deportation has not weakened us.
The bloody clashes with the police
did not brighten us. The chief of
police in Centrla Falls complained
much about the riot" at the fac
| tory gates. Let him bring in scabs
I again and he is going to have an
other riot on his hands"
The girl is new recruit. She has
been in the National Textile Union
only four months. The bitter strug-
gle has taught her lesson in class
relations. She is developing to be a
sturdy fighter.
The delegates from the other tex
tile centers spoke in the same vein
Their situation is similar to that OF
the miners. Here and there an or
ganized retreat may be unavoidable.
But this retreat is by no means a
surrender. On the contrary, 1t Will
serve to prepare and mobilize the
workers for the bigger struggles
ahead of them. The spirit of all the
reports is of optimism and miliAncy
/. A tall husky Negro worker from
the unemployed council of Detroit
said in hearty, juicy language:
"Our council succeeded in stop
ping completely the eviction In one
: section of the city. A short while
ago your governor Pinchoa) once
came to Detroit. Eight thousand
unemployed workers surrounded
the rich hotel where he and may
or Murphy we're comforting. Pin
chot had-to-be whisked out thru
: the back door. Our workers told
him plainly; as long as there Is
l the bloody terror against the min
, ers we don't want you in Detroit"
A delegate from the Metal Work
t ers Industrial League in desribin,
3 the pitiful conditions of the stee
workers pointed out the splendi'
spirit of class solidarity that tn
steel workers have shown n extend
! ing relief for the striking miner. H
| assured the conference that in tn
, very near future the "free" slave
of the steel trust would come out Il
an open fight against the bosses.
4 Comrade Foster struck the YER
\ keynote of the conference when h
6 said in his closing remar.Is:
a "The workers are rot down
: hearted nor hopeless. They are
ready to fight not out of despair
alton but with the sense Of their
: might and with he hope Of VIC
n tory"
o The conference presented the bes
evidence to substantiate the correct
ness of this statement.