The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-07-14
National Miners Meet to Open Tomor-
row; 10000 Families Need Relief Now
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE,

called by the HooYer-Mellon admin
istration admit, in general, that the
reason the UNIV. is not such good
tool as was first felt 1t would be, is
that the miners hate it with such
bitterness. The UNIV. can not de-
liver the goods, and the fight in the
Pittsburgh Terminal more than any
thing else has demonstrated this
Now when the Pittsburgh Terminal
mines are re-struck, within the next
few days, a further smashing blow
will have been dealt the scab union,
and one it will not easily recover
from.
Secondly, the flood OF injunctions
was stopped, at least for time, with
the first one When the Butler Con-
solidated Coal Company got its in
junction, all capitalist agencies and
particularly the Pittsburgh news
papers agreed that this was a mag
niflcent weapon to use against the
strike, decisive weapon. The first
injunction was to be but the prelude
to a whole series of injunctions.
But the picketing at Wildwood. in
the face of point blank volleys of
bullets and shot from the Butler
Consolidated's deputies, shows that
the injunctions will be fought with
such determination that it is better
not to use them. The open strike
breaking by the courts and the MUIR
der of miners that goes with 1t casts
more discredit, exposes more glar-
ingly the coal owner control of the
government than the Pennsylvania
politicians care for.
And thirdly, In the organization of
the strike itself. This is. shown in
all sections of the struggle. The To-
cal strike committees, elected in the
first heat of the strike when it was
spreading by leaps and bounds. and
individuals were not so well known
as now, were far from perfect. Now
they are being rebuilt out Of the
very best material, proved and tes-
ted in the heat of seven weeks
desperate struggle. The section COM
mittees, the relief committees, the
defense committees, almost over
looked in the first heroic weeks, are
now rapidly being built up and are
functioning better and better.
Most important of all, the picket
lines are being organized. The first
picketing, the first mass marching
was in the nature of a spontaneous
Surging forward of a mob, sweeping
obstacles away with more numbers
and enthusiasm, but with consider
1 able wasting Of forces. The present
picket lines, drilled by days ant
weeks of fighting, rapidly being or
ganized In groups Of ten to twenty
each group with its leader, compare
with the first undisciplined hordes
as do drilled regulars with raw
mass levy. The organized lines may
not to be quite to spectacular, but
they are vastly more effective wher
it comes to stopping scabs.
/ Then too the National Miner.
Union is being organized. More ano
more local unions, the permanent
forms Of the struggle, are being char.
tered. There are now about 80 loca
unions Of the N.M.U. in the western
Pennsylvania field. between twent,
and thirty in Ohio, and consider
able number scattered through West
Virginia and other fields. In the
heat Of the strike not all Of then
meet or function as they should, but
more and more Of them function
every week.
1t is not TO be thought that al
the above organization Is perfect Oh
finished. But the process is well I'm.
der way. and the good effects are
clearly visible.
The strike is now in the position
Of an army which has, in furious dis.
organized rush captured advanced
positions, has had couple of week,
OF slow progress while it organizes
and consolidadtes these positions anc
repulses counter attacks. and i:
now OF the eve Of second advance
The second advance is already be-
fginning, in fact. The last few days
have seen a dozen Of new mines
brought on strike, as well as the re-
striking Of certain Ohio and Penn
sylvania mines temporarily lost thru
inadequate organization.
But probably the real start Of the
second advance will be the United
Front National Conference, to be
held in Pittsburgh, July IS and 16
with delegates not only from the tn
state struck area, but from the an
tfracite and Hooking Valley in Ohio,
the Southern coal fields of West Va,
Illinois, Kentucky. and perhaps
other fields. This conference will
herald the spread OF organization
over vast territory, making base
for new spreading of the strike, and
for future strike struggle. 1t will not
only work out national program of
support for the present strike. but
will result in series Of district pro-
grams for support Of the strike, for
collection of relief, for organization
and struggle for demands, both gen.
eral and local.
The United Front National Con-
ference will surley elect national
| united front committee. which will