The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-14

In the first big strike, the miners,
after some resistance, on the plea
OF President Roosevelt, returned to
work with a promise of a square deal
and a checkweighman elected by
the miners at every mine.
In the last strike, the President
made many pleas but they fell on
deaf ears as far as the rank and file
miners were concerned. They were
out to win, and they realized their
strength, 100000 strong.
The solid front of the miners had
to be split-Lewis and his gang were
not Sufficent-the miners were wise
to him and Feeney, as well as the rest
Of the district officials. No, this time
1t needed more forces. Not even ter
ror could have broken the ranks. The
miners we've feeling their strength.
They were marching on the hard
boiled steel centers of the U. S. trust.
The coal operators of the COM
mercial mines, with rs, 900 miners on
strike, signed an "agreement"-reco
milton of the U.M.W.A., they said it
was-but all it is, is check-off of
the miners pay to be paid directly
to the district officials.
at best, the miners received small
increases in wages amounting to 10
to Is per cent, which has been can
celled by one scheme or another, even
through increased cost of supplies.
increased rents, deduction for dirty
coal, etc.
BY agreement with the coal oper-
ators and the government, Lewis has
decided the miners shall not strike.
This agreement" the coal operators
were ready to sign, and this is what
the miners were told is Recognition
of the U.M.W-A"
Spit Ranks
Split The front Of the fighting
miners-was the order given to Lewis,
with this agreement in his pocket.
And then the drive began to drive
the $1,000 miners of the commercial
mines back-to leave the fighting
core the Fayette County minersJ out
in the cold once more as in 1922.
Every kind of trickery, deception,
pressure from the government, the
press and all other lickSpittles of the
U. S. Steel trust was brought to gear.
The miners. sensing the betrayal re-
sisted for weeks. But lack of an Or
gained militant conscious opposition
made it possible for the Lewis ma
chine in some of the local unions in
the district to succeed in breaking
off sections OF the strike.
Finally, the miners of the COM
mercial mines were made to believe
with promises" from the holy cru
saderv himself, Gen. Johnson, that
the Prick Coke Co. would be made
TO recognize the UM.WA.
In this way, the miners of the COM
mercial mines, 5000, who were in
the main, blind to the actual contents
of their victorious agreement" re-
turned to work. And the Fayette
County miners continued the fight
klone.
And now the miners of the cap
tive mines" have been able to see
how they were unanswered into a
position, where their strike could be
defeated by a Shiny maneuver of
President Roosevelt openly carrying
but the dictates of the U. S. Steel
Corp. Their so-called insurgent lead
er, Martin Ryan, fell by the wayside
whether dumb or crooked, the re-
suits of his acts are the same to the
miners.
AT Bobtown, on the West Virginia
border, he held back the march of
the miners to spread the strike into
SCOTS Run district because he had
promised Governor Pinchot that the
miners would not cross Gle border.
When the Lewis clique, with the help
of the Governor and the operators,
forced the commercial miners back
to work, he issued no call to them to
keep up the solid front of 100000
miners.
He agreed to back down when
Lewis warned the Uniontown Con-
feernce not to elect their own lead
ership. Instead, he readily accepted
Billy Hines, the appointee of Lewis.
He attended conference of left
wing miners who. had formulated
correct policy for the winning of the
strike. There he agreed to help carry
it out. But at the first test he was
on the side Of Lewis's man Friday,
Billy Hines.
And although he spouted that the
agreement reached between Lewis,
Roosevelt and the U. s. Steel was
no agreement, he did not fight it in
Washington, ana agreed to carry it
out. 49,
Again he plays the role of being
an ''insurgent." He is against return
ing to work on Monday on this
arrangement, but will agree for We'd
nesday. A two-day militant. To get
the miners TO fall easier for this
latest betrayal, all hopes of the miners
have been conferred on the so-called
elections on which union they want,
when the elections are controlled by
rich tools of the boss class govern
ment, which accepts the dictates of
the U. s. Steel.
Resentment
Bitter resentment RACES throughout
all the coal fields of Western and
Central Pennsylvania. In dozens Of
mines the miners refuse to pay the
check-off. Disgust with the condi-
lions expresses itself at every meet
ing. Rump conferences are held in
many places throughout the coal fields
to discuss way out.
Now with unemployment increas-
Ing, with all the promises of the
MIRA. falling by the wayside, more
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