The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-21
New Revolt Looms
AS Miners Sense
Deception of NRA
National Struggle of Miners Is Struggle
Against Slavery in Coal Fields

the Anthracite, and the strikes in
Utah, New Mexico, Indiana and IL
linois.
While it is true that the dema-
gogy around the labor provisions
of the NR.A. gave stimulus to the
movement amongst the miners, the
real basis to the strike movement
is the deep discomfort amongst the
coal miners against the misery and
starvation existing in all coal fields
The recent strike of the Western
and Central Pennsylvania miners
was neither initiated nor conducted
under the leadership of the official
UNI. Wa, but against it, This in
spite of the demand for recogni-
ton of the U.M,W.A. as the union
of the miners, and the fact that
Lewis was able to put over the
slavery agreement" against the
will of the miners.
Upsurge from Below
The whole strike movement def
initely expresses an upsurge from
below in an attempt to wipe out
the miserable conditions and also
to supplant the Lewis leadership,
rs well as in many cases the u. M.
w. A, with militant fighting lead
ership.
Taking advantage of the illusions
Of the miners in the MIRA, which
existed with tremendous force, be-
fore the recent strikes, the weak
ened and discredited U.M.W.A. be-
gan to enroll thousands of miners.
Especially was this true in the coal
fields of Western and Central Penn
sylvania.
The miners were partly ready to
forget the betrayals of the past, un-
der the barrage of propaganda,
that it is not the U.M.W.A. of the
past" and promises" of the heavens
and many miners enrolling with the
clear cut intention of holding the
local machinery in the hands Of
the rank and file, were willing to
go to bat.
But it did not take long for the
miners, in the course of the strug-
gle, to realize that not only was it
the Lewis machine of the past, but
stepped in treachery even more than
in the past.
The coal miners have and are
testing the N.R.A. and all its "prom-
ises" through the struggle. They
are in dead earnest. The character
of the strike movement shows this
to be true. The powerful rank and
file lnitiative-the high stage of
militancy shown in all of the strikes,
IN facing gun thugs, militia and
military and the resistance of all
maneuvers to break their strikes
even on the part of the government.
is proof that still higher stages in
the struggle are to be expected in
the near future.
Tricked Back
Tens of thousands of miners
tricked and unanswered back into
the mines in the last few days are
already showing signs of revolt
against the agreement" signed by
Lewis, and no doubt will again
emerge into sweeping strike move
ment. The strike of the Fayette
County coke region in spite OF the
weak leadership still has tremen-
dous vitality, and if given proper
guidance and leadership can again
become the center of more power
full strike movement.
In Illinois the coal miners are
again reviving their struggle and
are determinedly meeting all the
forces of the operators including
the murderous gun-thugs of the
Lewis's.
The coal miners of the Anthra-
cite are marching in struggle for
definite improvement in their liv-
ing conditions, split off from the
U.M,W.A.
The miners are In mass revolt
against the treacherous Lewis lead
ership throughout the country.
They see in it an agent of the coal
operators and the spearhead for the
"Blue Eagle" with its sharp claws
gripping at the threats of the
workers.
Only where the N.M.U. led the
struggle or where the miners were
able to discard the treacherous re-
dictionary leaders were they able
to put up q militant fight. Only
through unity of the miners under
militant fighting leadership will
the coal miners be able to develop
powerful struggle nationally and
to establish q powerful union with
d program of struggle against all
tho apan,iaS IF tha nn.-a~c