The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-31
Lewis Riled When
Anti Communist
Provision Is Hit
(Continned from Paqe u

D WltGn bAlC WCoUg44LG QG4C5dJt ulUA LAlC
floor to denand the RIGHT Of Com
munists to join the union.
NO." said Sloan.
"Are you attending unit meetings2"
asked Lewis.
Al SIoan answered in the mega
tive. But Lewis launched into an
attack en- these who do not read the
constitution Of the union, stating
that Sloan was at one time known
as a member Of the Communist
Party.
Lewis claimed that in raid on the
( Communist Party headquarters in
Franklin County, Illinois, records
we're seized showing correspondence
with an oscar Slump" whom he
claimed TO be John Sloan.
The section Of the constitution I'M
der fire, paragraph 8, section 2, Of
the article IA, reads: ANY member
accepting membership In the Indus
trial Workers of the World. the Work
ing Class Union, the One Big Union,
or any other dual organization not
affiliated with the American Fedora
ton Of Labor, or membership in the
National Chamber Of Commerce, or
the XII Klux Khan, or the Commu-
mist Party, shall be expellsd from
the United Mine Workers of America.
'aThe Communist Party" said
Sloan. as Lewis irritably took his
watch and said, Proceed, proceed"
lis AGAINST capitalism and 100 per
cent for the freedom Of the work
ers."
CThe term 100 per cent had been
used consistently throughout the con-
vention with reference to that type
Of Americanisrn.)
"The Communist Party is 100 per
cent" continued Sloan, against the
capitalist system that has caused
starvation and misery and that is
based on profit"
Van A. Bittner, Lewis right hand
mar from West Virginia, then took
thu .sc4a% and announced that he had
never nls a man in his life who was
a Communist and knew what he was
talking about,
BY this time the convention was
in heated discussion, with ocpo-ition
delegates unable to get the floor.
Leo Sitki, Socialist dele9ate,
took the floor and was asked by
Lewis if he was a member of the
Communist Party.
mo" said S.tko, "I am q member
of the Socialist Party"
"Do YOU bnl'eve in the Communist
Party2" asked Lewis.
"Some Of the things" Sitko replied,
and then, asked what be would do If
he believed in the Communist Party,
said he would leave the U.M.WA."
Lewis concluded with an attack on
the Tr2de Union Unity LeaTue, the
National Miners rJ~ion and call or
carnations afHlisJ-& to the Commu-
mist Party"
Later in the day the International
Workers Order was singled out as
one of the organizations to be con-
dsnned under the head Of Dual
Unionisnn.
Ora Gasaway, member Of the U.
! M.WA. International Executive Board
and an organizer, was arrested here
early today on charges Of drawing a
revolver against the proprietor Of a
local restaurant. Gasaway he's q r1ar-
nit to carry the weapon, as have
most U.M.W.A. or~ar'---'".
Gcsaway, 48, lives in Brazil, Ind,
and he refused to stop playing ue-c
when so requested by the proprietor.
Articles and sections of the consti-
tuition were again pushed through to-
day without the reading of any. Only
one major change was made and that
| to uproot whatever remnant Of dem
ocracy might be left in the Union.
/ At future conventions each delegate
will represent up to 500 miners in
stead OF as heretofore 100. This was
| announced as an economy measure,
but no mention was made of the
abuse Haunting Of economy by keep
ing the salaries of union heads at
| the present high scale. The trans
/ portation cost for the Convention
was announced as $4,000 and the
total cost CT the gathering. $l25,000.
A roll call vote was asked on the
last named resolution, but Lewis said
that a 80 per cent vote was the pre-
! requisite to vote by roll cell.
There has been no roll coll vote
since the convention opened its ses-
sion last Tuesday. Such a vote would
lay many delegates open to the criti-
cism of their locals who sent them
to the convention with instructions
to fight the machine.
Many resolutions against exorbitant
taxes, which must be raid to the off,
o'aldon jurisdiction of union district
officials, were ridden over rou9h shod
| by the machine. The Committee on
Resolutions introduced d substitute
bill this morning on the Soldiers
bonus, which was passed. 1t read that
the U.M.W.A. stands for the payment
Of the adjusted compensation certi-
| ficates.
Congratulations were sent to Roose-
welt on his birthday. Mrs. Perkins
is to speak before the convention this
afternoon.
/