The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-05-16
PARTY LIFE
Where Does Our Duty Lie?
Conducted by the Organization Department Of
the Central Committee, Communist Party BsS.A.
By PHIL FRANKFELD and JOE TAsH ullinois)

BY PHIL FRANKFELD and JOE TAsH allinois)
nv the Southern Illinois coal fields we-hsge'
number of Party members and sympathizerB
leaving the capitalistic state6rtor the>@soyiet
Union.
In one nucleus, comrades out OF are leav-
ing In another, / comrade out of 5. In third,
one conlrsde. In several of the small mining
towns we have quite a number of families of
sympathetic miners leaving for the Soviet Union.
These comrades are going to the mine fields of
the Soviet Union. - - ,s..sssss:s = >S' =
We surely applaud the sentiments Of the com
radss They gay: I'VE will help build Socialism
in Russia We win help carry through the Five
Year Plan"
In the Illinois coal fields, the class struggle
is growing ever sharper. Unemployment effects
over one third Of the miners today. Whole
towns are practically unemployed. Hundreds and
thousands of miners and their families are in
dire need Part time work is almost universal;
and those miners who put in or 10 shifts a
month still consider themselves lucky"
Loading machines are being installed that are
throwing many miners out Of work permanently
Production is steadily declining for the year
l931--as compared even with 1890. For the first
go working days of 1881 (until April 49, produc-
ton declined by 60 per cent as compared with
1890 The newspapers state that this is the
lowest production figure for the past 10 years
And for the week ending April 25-another drop
of $4,000 net tons
I.
Wages are being cut indirectly as yet. Output
per miner issbeing increased, but the wages re-
main the same. !.
The Lewis --machine has united with Walker
Nesbit. This means that greater betrayals are
ahead for the mass of the miners in Illinois
What are the duties Of every Communist in
the coal fields and of every sympathizer as well?
To help: organize the miners for resistance to
the further attacks of the coal companies; for
resistance TO the mass hunger and misery that
stares every miner in the face The Communists
In the coal fields must help build up the weak
ened National Miners Union and the small Com
rurist Party; Tho Communists must be in the
forefront in the fight against wage cuts, speed
up unemployment for bread Jobs and un-
employment assurance.
TO mobilize the. American and foreign-born
mIlpers Tor actlye participation in the class strug-
gle; to instill an understanding of the class
struggle itself in The minds of the miners to
rally the miners for support of the Soviet Union
in case of attack--these are sne tasks of every
revolutionary miner in the coal fields.
TInstead--comrades and sympathizers are leav-
ing for Russia. The Russian workers and pea
SAINTS are building and will continue. to build
socialism. The task of the American revolution
lists is to help safeguard the achievements Of
the Russian Reyolution--and to helpin tile COM
pletion of socialist society not only In Russia
but in the United States by helping. overthrow
capitalism and establishing workers govern
ment here. - ~
We must state categorically to Oar comrades
and symrathisers That migratng,to the Soviet
Union is indeed excellent, but your lob and duty
remains right here in the U.S.A. Your post is
America! We cannot fulfill our duties by taking
the lazy way out-avoiding the sharpening class
struggle, and gaining without effort struggle.
that which the Russian workers sacrificed and
fought for against czarism and Kerenskyism in
order to gain.
The Party should call on all revolutionary
workers TO stcy right here in the U.S.A. = the
,ncst dangerous for Of the 50. st U-,on--and
help to o7srtirg9 cafdv.sln :TT' {.