The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-31
BY BEN GERyOY


TO GIVE q political estimation OF the signin-
l canoe Of the Third " ional Convention OF
the N. M U, il must IL approached from the
following: What effect Ell this Convention have
upon the struggles V.hicL the miners are facing
in the immediate future? The question to be
answered is whether this was 'just another con-
vention" or, whether important points pertain
ing to policy and tactics, were cleared up, which
will have a positive effect upon the coming
struggles?
Three Strikes
The adjournment of the Convention found the
miners engaged in three important strikes, as
far apart in leadership, policy and tactics as
they are apart geographically. The strike OF
seven thousand miners in the Hooking Valley,
Ohio, mine fields, led by the U M. w. A. official
dom This strike was not prepared, it has no
concrete demands. and the U. M. w. A. officials
are cooperating with Governor Whites national
guard to keep the strike within the law" In
other words, giving the coal operators a free
hand to use the government forces to protect the
scabs and break the strike. In this strike there
is nothing new. While this Is written, reports
reached us that the U. NJ. w. A. gave up the
strike
The second is the strike in the Anthracite,
already embracing between fifteen and twenty
thousand miners led by the Maloney- Shuster
IOrCeS, The SO-calI6Q insurgents 10 GIl6 Lewis
Boylan reactionary machine. Here, again, the
strike was not prepared, and while some demands
are put forward these are Of a nature which do
not aim to improve the immediate conditions Of
the miners, especially the miners inside the
mines. The fact that the main demand is
equalization OF work" shows that the leadership
based itself primarily upon the unemployed and
did not aim to shut off production.
The third is the Kentucky strike, conducted by
the National Miners Union This strike, despite
the mistakes committed, has three outstanding
features which characterizes the new unionisn.
Firstly the demands; secondly, initiative of the
rank and file strikers; thirdly, militant action.
70 the above described strikes can be added
another important strike which broke out
few days ago as a result of an announced wage
cut by the Hanna Coal Co.. of East Ohio. So
far no single union is leading this strike. 1t was
& spontaneous walk-out on the part of the
miners.
The Miners Are Fighting
All this teaches us very important lessons. 1t
shows first Of all that the miners are in q
lighting mood. 1t is clear also that the N. M U.
must provide leadership. It shows, furthermore,
that unless the N M q. is in the field to provide
this leadership the miners will fall prey to the
leadership Of their betrayers. While the miners
are struggling without leadership the coal oper-
aIorS are reducing Cnem into deeper misery. AND
wherever the N. M. U. is absent from the field
the U. M. w A. and its progressive agents are on
the job to lead the miners into the hands of
the coal operators.
Convention Must Lead the Way
This, briefly is the atmosphere in which the
National Miners Union held it's Third National
Convention. The Convention had to answer
why our Union does not provide the miners with
leadership. The Convention, of course, recorded
a number Of important struggles under the in
dependent leadership of the N M. u. but these
are quite insufficient in the face of widespread
discomfort of the miners, and in the face of the
many struggles which take pace either spon-
taneously or under enemy leadership
The Convention set itself the task to answer
the above question. In our opinion it did this
very we'll From the very beginning till the very
end the Convention was marked by a thorough
going ard searching self-criticism This was true
on the part Of the leadership of the Union, as
well as HE TWO hundred-odd rank and file dele
gates vito attended the Convention. The weak
neSseS OF the Union were, so to say, laid bare
before the eyes Of the Convention This was a
proper approach, as only by completely recogniz-
ing our mistakes and shortcomings will we be
able to correct them and make of our Union an
organization capable Of and deserving the lead
ership OF the miners