The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-10
Alabama Strike Struggles

MURDEROUS thugs of the Morgan
HA controlled iron ore mining companies
have been unleashed in an effort to crush
the strike of the Alabama ore miners.
Two Negro strikers have been shot down
and killed in cold blood. A coal miner
was killed earlier, on the picket line.
National Guard troops, called out by the agent Of
the steel trust and jailer Of the scottsboro boys
Governor 3. NJ Miller, are pointing their machine
guns at the strikers Ironically, these troops were
called at the request of the A F, Of L. misleaders
A reign of terror, with raids beatings, arrests and
shootings have been let loose
The eight thousand ore miners struck against
a wage reduction which embodied IN the Mia
wage scale recently announced by President Roose-
velt Finding that the ore miners would not accept
the mo strike" orders of the federal government
an atter,pt is now made to drown the strike in
blood,
The strike of the miners follows closely on
the heels of the strike of $1,000 Alabama coal
miners who we're betrayed back to work with only
slight concessions, by the NR.A decisions, and by
the secret agreement negotiated by William Mlten'
district president of the United Mine Workers OIL
America The officials of the U.M.WA and OF the
International Mine, Mill & Smelter Workers Union
working hand in hand whit Roosevelt and the
NRA followed the strategy Of delaying the ore
strike as long as possible of keeping the steel work
ers al work and thus divide the struggle Of the
workers for higher wages and better working con-
dtons.
It is not accidental that the two miners murdered
on the picket line were both Negro workers. The
bloody terror Of the Tennessee Coal and Iron
company Morgan controlled, the coal operators
and steel trust. comes down with greatest force
against the Negro miners and steel workers. The
employers backed by government rtoops and NRA.
DEGREES. through perpetuation of the Jim-Crow,
through bestial terror especially directed against
the Negro workers, aim to divide the strikers, and
to maintain a reserve of cheap, Negro labor The
,Jim-Crow policies of the leaders of the U.MWA.
and the international Mine Mill and Smelter Work
ers Union sive aid and comfort to this smashing
attack Of the employers on the strikers.
The N. r. A., which reduced the wages Of the
ore miners, gave the official backing OF the federal
government 10 the wage differential to the main
tanning Of a lower wage scale to the Southern ore
and coal miners than is received by the miners OF
the North The employers, while trying to divide
the workers North and South, themselves united
and largely identical. The Tennessee Coal and
Iron Company is part of the steel trust, and is
Morgan controlled Finance capital holds both the
Northern and Southern coal mines and steel mills
in its grasp AS long as lower wages for the South
are maintained, the workers of the North will have
their wages beaten down to lower levels.
The heroic ore strikers are defending themselves
valiantly against the bloody Alabama terror.
THE influence of the Communist Party is more and
and more being felt among the workers Of Ala
bama. The call of the Communist Party for mil
liant mass picketing, for abolition of Jirn-Crow on
the picket line and inside the union, for the spread
ing of the strike against secret negotiations OF Of
f1cals leading to compulsory arbitration by the
N r. A. boards, and for broad elected strike COM
nnittees ETC., is finding an increasing response from
the miners who note the lessons Of the betrayal Of
the coal strike by Mitch.
Especially did the tremendous May Day dem
onstration of the workers of Birmingham, held de-
spite great terror, stimulate the strike of the
miners The main task of the strikers is to
organize rank and file opposition inside the A. F.
Of L. mine and unions to guard against be-
trayas of the officials and to enforce these militant
policies in the unions.
Workers, North and South! Defend the heroic
strike of the Alabama mners Send protests
against the bloody terror to Governor Miller at
w O. Downs City Hall, Birmingham Alabama
Demand an end to the arrests and raids on
strikers and Communists. DEMAND THE I'M
MEDIATE WITHDRAWAL OF THE NATIONAL
GUARD TROOPS AND MURDEROUs COMPANY
GUN THUGS.