The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-20

\ these marches the policy Of
THE officialdom and that of the
rank and file stood out il
sharp contrast. While the
rank and file carried fighting
slogans, the U. NJ. W. A. official,
organized two dances, one for the
Negro miners and one for the white
miners.
At the meeting in Uniontowr
many thousands Of coal miners
from all over Fayette County were
in the march. At the meeting.
while Mrs. Pinchot was speskins
one Of the Independent Miners
Brotherhood miners. the COMPANY
union Of the H. c. Prick Coal Co
shot a few rank and file miner
and was rescued from The snqr,
miners by the police.
After the meeting the miner
were asked TO go to dances. one fol
the white miners and the other foI
the Negro miners. This q their
policy Of dividing the Negro and
white coal miners. In the same
way they divided the miners into
commercial" and Captive" so that
the company would have an easier
time in breaking the strike.
At the recent U. M. w. A. con.
vention, when resolution on thu
freedom of the nine Scottsbort
boys came before the delegates. the
Lewis machine was against passing
it because we have to get more
facts" This is the way they carry
out the part of the UM.W.A. con
stitution that says, There shall he
no discrimination between color.
creed and nationality"
Anyone that knows the history or
the miners struggles, and there
we're many knows that amongst tbs
best fighters are the Negro miners.
In all Of the strikes the Negro men.
and women were in the front li~~
Take few examples.
Try to Keep Negroes In
At the West Penn mine. in l.
KtsA Valley. mostly Negro MINT
we're employed. All Of the miner
in the Valley we're out on strike.
but the company and the coal and
iron police and the state polio
we're carefully guiding this mine tc
keep the Negro miners from conino
out. The Negro miners organized
a mass meeting in hall owned by
the coal company, and held theh
meeting, elected a strike committee
and came out on strike. The com
pany, of course thought that the
Negro miners were having church
services.
At the Edna mine strike in West
moreland County, one Of the Negro
miners was out Of jail on parole.
He still had ten-year sentence to
serve. and the company said thev
would turn him in if he went on
strike. The Negro miner asked the
strike committee what to do, and
they told him to go to work. He
worked for a few days, and ono
morning, as he was going to work.
he saw the state police clubbing
the pickets. He threw down his
bucket and took his place on the
picket line. This is the way the
Negro miners fought in all Of the
strikes. And what do they get for
this. Jin-CroW dances, worst
places in the mines, living in the
worst of the company shacks, and.
when nine young boys are framed
by the bosses class, the same U. NJ.
w, A. leaders need more facts"
when the whole world knows that
they are innocent and denonstra
lions for their release have been
held in all parts of the world.
A New Form of Strike
At the march in Greensburg. the
Yukon local carried signs. They
were fighting signs. I'VE want paw
for dead work and cross bars" was
the sign emphasizing the need to
fight for better conditions in the
mines 1--WE demand the passing OF
the Workers Unemployment and
Social Insurance Bill was another
We don't believe in strike, but
wagon a day will bring results
This was gotten out, not because
the miners are against strikes, bul
because they must pay 81 DAY
for striking, and they had recently
won strike by having all Of thu
miners so into the mine, but t.
load only one car per man. Thh
strike" was won in one day. An.
other slogan was 'for the election
of new officers, what's organiza.
ton without good leaders,"
During the whole of the march
the miners and other workers were
saying, That's Yukon, they're
good bunch of fighters"
The miners in these fields arc
building their rank and file orga-
in the local unions. They
are getting ready for the June cleo
tons for the local union officials
Not Lewis official in any Of this
locals, the miners say. Together
with the Rank and File Commit
tee in the United Mine Workers
they are getting out their own rsnl'
and file paper It is called tn
Coal Digger