The daily worker., 1931-08-04
BY BILL DUNNE.

THE National Miners Union has become a
L common enemy to everyone-to coal oper-
ators, to the United Mine Workers to the gen
eral public and even the strikers who have
followed its misguiding leadership
editorial in the Pittsburgh Press, July rs.
During the past week especially has the
Press looked with discerning eye upon the
happenings in the coal fields. I, Of course, am
thinking particularly of the disturbance at
Canonsburg last Sunday. The Press has not
failed to bear in mind that the actions of the
National Miners Union are directed toward but
one end and that is the Red world revolu-
ton On the other hand the United Mine
Workers of America has for its goal the re-
Mobilization of the coal miner, and OF this fact
too, The Press has been well aware.
am writing you in this vein because of my
sincere appreciation OF the clear-cut debunked
news stories which have appeared In The Press
about the coal nliners.-P. T. Pagan, Presi-
dent, United Mine Workers of America, Pitts
burgh District. in the Letters From Our
Readers" department, Pittsburgh Press, July
"a
In settling the SCOTS Run strikes, instgat-
ed by wage cuts, the UNTWA has accepted
wage scales considerably below those paid in
some non union mines of the region; well be-
low those paid in unionized Illinois and In
diana Basic day rate set is $3.50, compared
with S6l0 Illinois union scale and from
$3.50 to $3.50 paid by the Consolidated Coal
Company, in the (same) field.-"Business
Week" for July IA.
They CUNIWA) have signed contracts for
nine cents ton and ninety cents per day less
than is already being paid by coal operators
in the southern fieIds.-Edmund Wilson in the
New Republic" for July 8.
The contract signed by the UNIWA with the
Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Company provides
a wage scale no higher than previously paid
and lower than that paid by some non-union
Observation-Disclosures POst-Gazette editorial.
To clear the way for the Washington confer
ence Of coal operators and the UNIWA officials
called by Secretary Of Commerce Lamont and
Secretary of Labor Doak, with the agreement Of
President Hoover the strike must be smashed.
To smash the strike it is necessary to smash
the National Miners Union and break up the
network of fighting rank and file committees
organized through its leadership and through
which the hatred Of the miners for the traitor
GUS Lewis officiaI6om, and their will to fight
the starvation program Of the coal operators,
their agents and the starvation government of
Hoover, find ready expression.
That the proposed conference to which 125
operators have been invited is strike breaking
conference is shown by wealth of evidence but
none more significant than the fact that those
operators invited are with some minor excep-
tions those whose major properties are in the
Fielde-WJecterr7 pnr1,1svlvaria stern
Ohio the Panhandle section of West Virginia
and those in fields where strike is a matter Of
days, as in General Pennsylvania. 1t is espe-
cially from those fields where the NNfU and
the Miners National Committee of Unity and
Action are leading the struggle that the coal
operators are invited.
It is a little too raw for the Hoover admins
tration to attempt seriously while the strike
continues, to put over the UNIWA as a miners
organization when even in the anthracite, long
considered a Lewis stronghold, the convention
of District the decisive district-breaks up
three days running in hand-to-hand fighting
between insurgents and the machine crew and
a Hoover administration protege, Senator James
j. Davis, gets tear gassed by police bomb
thrown to rout miners enraged by q long Sc
ries of betrayas; when in Illinois a meeting of
1000 miners refuses to let Lewis speak, as in
West Frankfurt, July 25.
The UNIWA is going to pieces before the eyes
OF its hackers under the blows of the mine work
ersl The miners know it-and welcome it. The
sole strength Of the UNIWA in the strike areas
is the support Of the coal operators and the
government-polce, sheriffs prosecuting attor-
ney, courts, mine superintendents, professional
gunmen This is its organizing staff Conscrip-
tion of miners, not recruiting and enlistment
is its tactic As Pagan yelled as he retreated
from a couple of thousand miners in Canons-
burg: You'll join the UNIyVA whether you like
it or not"
If the UNiWA IS to be saved rs the fascist
weapon of the coal capitalists the strike and
the NMU must be crushed. Orders to this ef-
feet have gone out from Washington This is
the only conclusion that can be drawn from
the events Of the last few days There is a uni
fornlity Of pol..y and tactics on the part of the
press, the coal operators and city, county and
state governments, that has been lacking up to
the present time. and that shows central direc-
ton.
Let us examine some more of the statements
contained in the Pittsburgh Press editorial from
which quoted above 1t is impossible to reply to
all the lies contained in this five hundred word
editorial in our limited space The editorial is
q splendid example of what liberal paper can
do in the way of venornous distortion when con-
fronted with sharp class issues and therefore
forced to drop all its impartial camouflage and
get right on the job for the lords of coal and
steel
Exceptionally worthy Of notice is the ac-
knowledged kinship with the Civil Liberties
Union-which is in favor of free speech for ev-
erybody. including coal company thugs and