The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-05
BY ELL DUNE.
Concluded from yesterdays issuel

(CcnCIuded from yesterdays ISSUE
II
IN Ohio the third arrest of District N.MU. Sec
rotary sivert and Rompa, and the placing of
the second charge of criminal syndicalism
against them, with bail set at $4,000 shows this
continual persecution of strike leaders as a de-
liberate tactic to keep them out of the struggle
while the attack on the mass of the miners
grows more vicious. In Welsburg, West Virginia,
10 members of the strike committee with num-
Der of district leaders, are held in high bail on
trumped-up charges.
Sheriff Charnock of Brooke County has issued
an edict prohibiting picketing because he says,
'the National Miners Union is not recognized by
the federal government" Sheriff Habig of Ohio
County (Wheeing) following a conference of
coal operators the head of the state police, rep
reSentatives of the chamber of commerce, the
city police chief, county prosecutor and law
yerS of the Paisley and Constanzo mines, Easten,
president of the West Virginia ALL, Morning
ton of the Wheeling Central Labor Council, has
decreed that no more than five persons can be
on the picket line at any one time, chat three
of these must be able to read and write English
and be held responsible for anything that hap
pens"
The presence of the two AFLI labor traitors at
such a conference shows that the AFL machin-
cry, in addition to that of the UMWA itself is
being modified for intensive strike breaking in
preparation for the Washington conference. This
has not been done so openly up to this time
Furthermore for the first time threats of at
tacks upon and destruction of relief stations and
food kitchens are being made by the gun thugs
in various parts of the strike area. as in Piney
Fork and Adena, o. Organizers are being
stopped on the highways, held at the point of
machine guns and threatened with death if they
do not get out of the strike. More UNIV thugs
former officials, holding commissions from the
various city, county and state political machines
game wardens, probation officers, prohibition
agents, special deputy sheriffs etc-are being
sent into the strike areas
In Western Pennsylvania, Fagan district presi-
dent of the UNfWA, is swearing out warrants for
the arrests of organizers and members of the
NMU on various charges.
The capitalist press is assduously creating a
background of brutality and assassination in the
coal fields-for which the miners and the Ma
tonal Miners Union, "a Communistic organiza-
ton" is responsible, of course. typical ex-
ample of this kind is found in the first page
story OF an alleged attack upon Fagan published
by the Cleveland Press, July 81. This Scripps-
McRae sheet states that the attacker, who was
shot and killed by Pagan the whole story has
a phony sound came from District 10 of the
UMWA The Press then says, in parenthesis:
MS Is the tennessee W coal district which
has been the scene of miners feuis for three
years. 1t was the birthplace Of the so-calIed
Communistic union, the National Miners Union
which has spread its activities into Eastern Ohio
West Virginia and Kentucky fields"
That the birthplace of the NMU was Western
Pennsylvania that it was really born in the old
"Save-the- Union strike of 1929, that Dis
trict 10 is Kentucky, that the NMU spread from
Pennsylvania into the other sections mentioned,
are details that do not bother the strikebreak-
ing propagandists of the capitalist press That
niers who have been sold out not once but ev-
cry time they went on strike by the UNfWA Of
fcials may make up their minds to hold them
Moral principles humanity, you apply to pulp
wood and slaves imported from the u S. S. r.
But fear should stop you. Make no mistake
history has long memory. Bourgeois economy
is shaken to its very foundations The crisis
has dragged it into an abyss The world prole-
tariat has no desire to drag ont this devil on
his shoulders. The eight black workers-they
are your enemies. But these enemies tomorrow
10