The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-02-21
THE AWAKENING OF
THE WEST

City. Then, by virtue of some good organizing
work and our correct line, the workers began to
rally to our leadership in force. The demon
stration February 10th had 5000 present, about
as per cent of the total unemployed in Salt Lake
City. And at my meeting 1000 workers abso-
lutely jammed the big theatre while several
hundred more outside, vainly sought admission,
Not even the oldest timers can remember such
a meeting in Salt Lake City. And it just vibrated
and rang with fighting spirit
Behind these meetings, of course, deep up
heavals are preparing in the industries. The oil
workers of the Southwest, faced by rs per cent
unemployment and ferocious wage cuts, are in
state of wide foment. The miners of Colorado,
confronting a wage cut of 80 per cent and liv-
ing under starvation conditions generally. are
seeking way to fight back And the steel and
agricultural workers of Colorado the packing
house workers, etc, of Kansas and Nebraska, are
stirring with active resentment, which on4y
awaits degree of organization and leadership to
break into active struggle. Doubtless the rest
of the West will show a similar picture of deep
ening working class discomfort and movement
as I have encountered up to this point in my
present tour.
At present these big mass movements develop
around the issue of unemployment relief But
they also reflect the general rehabilitation of the
workers We must be skillful enough to spread
the movement over into the industries Out of
our big unemployment movement, must
establish 7. U. U. L. unions all over the West.
An important angle of the situation is that it
enables us TO better our connections with the
poor farmers, especially in the Southwest These,
with the starving oil workers, the drought
stricken farmers, unite in common struggle. We
must improve this opportunity to reach the toll
erS on the farms
lie bow aOfa of fho in
the West. In Oklahoma the Governor finds it
necessary to call out the troops to combat the
February 10th demonstrations. In Denver, our
comrades heading a big demonstration, brush
past the police, enter the state capitol and make
fiery speeches to the astonished legislators, who
reply by mobilizing the local police force for my
meeting. 1t Salt Lake City, our comrades, with
thousands of unemployed workers supporting
them, submit their demands to the Senate and
House, speaking before these bodies and adj
vertising my meeting in this heart of the local
capitalist government We must learn how to
develop this growing fighting spirit with a still
much sharper mass application of our slogan
Workers, Don't Starve, Fight"
Let us not misunderstood the political mean =
ing of meetings of 1900 in Denver, and 1000
in Salt Lake City, and especially the big move
nents in the Oklahoma county. The masses in
the West are beginning to stir and they are
looking to us for leadership.
We must not fail them. In the West the
workers are beginning to test out our Party as
the practical leader in the class struggles.
We must be alert to improve this promising
situation The Party must give immediate at
tenion to the West. Our forces there must be
strengthened at once. We must establish
districts in the Invest areas. We must find more
leading comrades to put in the field. We must
call Western conferences to unity the work of
our party in these states. We must become con-
scious of the possibilities of the whole situation
and act at once While intesifying our work in
the East and South, which like the West is
rapidly awakening. must also develop the
forces to lead and organize the awakening west
ern workers.