The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-01
STRIKERS SCORE AID OF CIVIL
LIBERTIES TO COAL OPERATORS
Central Rank and File Committee Demands
Gu Reverse Its Attitude Towards Miners

check-off, and are in revolt against
the U. M. W. in every coal field in
the country.
When the leaders of this slavers
gang openly appear at public
meeting to further their srikebreak-
ing plans, and invite the miners to
come, where is there any interior
ence with civil liberties if the miners
do come, and voice their condemna-
ton? What else can they do?
We call your attention to the fact,
in answer to your statement that
you have hefriended the miners in
the past, that on every important
occasion in this strike your actions
have been of objective assistance to
the coal operators, not to the miners.
Your investigators, including Mr..
Num- who signs the letter to us, went
through the coal fields and were
quoted in the newspapers without
objection $50 far as we know on
their part, as advocating more state
police be sent into the strike area
They did this although the state po-
lice on numerous occasions have col
Elaborated with the deputies in break
ing up our picket lines, beating up
and arresting the striking miners.
An instance is the smashing Of the
Walnut Hill picket line the first
week in July by state troopers who
dubbed mercilessly and rode down
women and children. Afterwards
the state troopers participated in the
arrest of nearly the whole town on
such flinsy charges that most of
those arrested have had to be re-
leased even by the prejudiced courts
of Pennsylvania. Another instance
is the smashing by state troopers Of
the march Of miners to Westland
mine on June z. Here state police
tear gassed, dubbed, rode down men,
women and children. The state po-
lice gouged out the eyes Of miners,
dIIQ VI INC bllCll DOIlCOs 1llSy NllLCM
small children out Of trucks onto the
concrete road. They shot William
Slovane in the back, and Mike Sklar-
ski through the arm. Your endorse
ment of these murderous state po-
lice has been much used by the coal
operators.
Even your mass meeting in Pitts
burgh, supposedly in protest against
the attacks on miners in the strike
area, was Of service to the enemies
of the miners, because by turning
this meeting over to Norman Thomas
and by making 1t a socialist party
rally, you supported the socialist
party whose administration in Read
ing jailed those collecting relief for
the starving miners, and whose
mayor made abusive remarks about
them.
We do not observe any protest
from you against this fragrant viola
ton of civil rights by the socialist
party administration in Reading, nor
any real campaign to win the rights
of miners to collect relief in Pitts
burgh and the steel towns which
almost all now prohibit such COL
lections.
We do not see any protest on your
part against the arrest Of those who
demonstrated at Canonsburg and
defended themselves against attacks
by Fagan's gangsters- Instead, your
defense Of the Lewis-Fagan ma
chine which has had them arrested
is being used not only to convict
these men, but In an attempt to
smash and suppress their organiza-
ton.
In view Of these facts, we suggest
that if you really intend to defend
civil liberties, you alter your present
policies considerably. and particu-
larly that you reverse entirely the
attitude expressed in your letter to
us of July %, as far as it refers to
the Canonsburg affair.
This is the decision OF the Execu-
tive Committee of the Central Rank
and File Strike Committee which
had your letter before it at its full
meeting, July "a, and ordered this
answer to be written.
VINCENT KEMENOvICH,
Secretary Central Rank and
File Strike Committee.
FRANK BORICH,
Secretary, National Miners