The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-07-04
By Harrison George

by harrison George
Miners, you ought to know some
thing about war Many of you now
on strike were selected for service
in the last war. You fought for de
nocracy." Now you see what you
got! Others of you mined coal dur
ing the war to keep the home fires
burning" the profiteers piled up
-auDireds Of millions of dollars. They
have the dollars yet. But what have
you?
Some of you, of course, we're too
young to go to war or to mine coal
during the past war-the war to end
war as the capitalists called it. But
you are not to be missed, you young
er miners. The capitalists are fixing
up a new war, bigger and bloodier
than the last one.
And they are going to see that it
should be more profitable than the
last one, too, for them. You miners
should get S,ext TO this, when we tell
you what is being done by the capt.
talist government to arrange that
way.
Over a year ago it was planned
OF course. if the capitalists openly
said that they were going to send you
off to get gassed to death and shot
full of holes, while they cleaned up
bigger profits than ever, there would
be a loud howl go up. So they lie
about it, and Congress decided to
cover the game up by setting up a
G o m mi S 81 o n which supposed to
"equalize the burdens of war" and to
consider amending the Constitution
of the United States to provide that
private property may be taken by
Congress for public use during war
and to remove the profits of war"
That's what they we're supposed to
consider. But the Commission, when
1t got into meeting, just forgot"
about it entirely. What it fixed up
under the guidance of secretary of
War Hurley, was a plan for Indus
trial Mobilization
And please, miners, take note that
this plan" provides for control of
the price of labor as well as control
of labor migration which means
that you will not allowed to migrate
or move about from one town or
coal pit to another The government
will make you stay on the job where
It wants you, whether you like it or
not. And it will control the price"
of your labor-that is, it will set your
wages, and you must work for that
Get that? 1t is forced labor! Yet
these hypocrites pretend to be against
forced labor" in the Soviet Union
where miners are forced" to accept
a wage raise of II percent this year,
no unemployment, the six-hour day
and five day week, new houses and
more education.
So, this United States Commission
has it all arranged for you to work
at forced labor under wage scale
set by the capitalist government in
the next war. But it also has it
fixed SO the capitalists, coal barons
and all, will get big profit in the
next war. Here are some OF the
capitalists who laid down the policy
of the Commission:
Daniel Willard, President of the
3. & O. Railroad, said he is opposed
to taking profits out of war since
business is entitled to a reasonable
profit in war or peace or any other
time"
Howard e. Coffin, an official of the
Navy, who helped the grafters in the
last war as chairman of the Aircraft
Board, said to the members of the
Commission: II assume that none
of us are contemplating taking the
profits out of war"
What do you think of that, after
the resolution of Congress had plainly
said that the Commission should try
to remove the profits of warp" Such
IypOCIlISS. tSdIpl L. - NS1I, I'd
tional commander of the strike break
ing American Legion, which hollers
about drafting" dollars as well as
p1en"-when it came his time to
I. speak, he was for seven percent
profit for the drafted" dollars, and
nothing but death for the drafted
men.
The whole scheme is part of the
preparations by the capitalist govern