The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-20
Winning the Illinois Miners tor
the Program Of the N. NJ y.

want OF breath, or IN another way or putting 1t,
they were busy building wagon without giving
regard to the pulling power.
1t became necessary to give the animal breath
and to supply the wagon with horse. In other
words, to place the basis of the united front
movement on the issues of the miners at home,
and to build the N.M.U. as a driving force in
the unity movement.
The following happened:
We approached the miners in the Unity Com
mittee with the problem, made it clear that the
NM.U had to be built. The result was when
we asked the miners to join our union, all Of
them in the Unity Committees did SO, and when
this was reported at the T.U.UL. board meet
ing, we were accused of changing the policy
I think that it can be said that we corrected the
obvious misunderstanding and the incorrect APP
phcation of the policy.
The building of the united front movement
cannot be separated from the building of the
union itself, and if at the present. we do not
have in Illinois broad united front movement,
and if we do not have Unity Committees, it is
because the union is weak. In my opinion it is
only dream to think of solid united front
movement in the absence of the N.M.U. The
Unity Committees must be established to take
up the issues of the miners as they arise, to-
gether with the members of the N. M. U. on
program or demands that the NMU. members
take the lead to present. In my opinion Unity
Committees must not be established as perma-
nent institutions, but must be born as result
of burning grievances of the miners against
which the NM.U. calls for action, and seeks the
united effort of all miners in particular pit or
territory for particular issue or grievance, and
this call not to come from Pennsylvania Ohio,
or any other section of the mining fields, but
from the NM.U. right here in Illinois, as weak
as it is, and this weakness will be a phrase of
the past so far as Illinois is concerned if we are
successful in applying the united front policy in
a realistic timely manner.
If the united front policy will be used in
hap-hazard manner, there is great danger that
we are apt to discredit it; it must not be played
with, it is not toy, it is very effective method
in the hands of our union to smash the barriers
put up by the enemies of the miners to keep
them out of our union and away from struggle
that would lead them to victory.
The existing siuation in the Illinois coal fields
presents to us favorable opportunity to re-
establish our union. Great unrest prevails
among the miners who are sick and tired Of the
ike-breaking officialdom of the United Mine
Workers of America to the extent where 10 per
and Walker, it was to our discredit that we were
unable to prevent the takers at the head of their
movement from repeating the purpose of other
groupings like the re-organized movement head
ed by Hewitt.
However, as a result of the past betrayals of
the Illinois miners, and such movements as the
rank and file movement and on the other
hand the continuing attacks of the operators
upon their conditions and being aware of no.
ticeable increase in the number of unemployed
and realizing that the coal operators want to
further cut their wages on April l. the miners
are beginning to look toward the National Min
ers Union for leadership The adoption of three
resolutions in five locals of the U.M.W.A, which
represented by National Miners Union mem
U.M.W.A, is sign that the miners of Illinois
are again, despite the criminal mistakes of our
union in Illinois in the past willing to throw
their strength in support of our program and
build the N.M.U. into power.