The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-01

the scale. The scale resolution
raised most Of the demands of the
rank and file committee Of the Q.
M. W. of A. These actions showed
the will of the coal miners and at
the same time it forced Lewis to
agajn show his hand.
The coal miners want to GUST
Lewis. They are against his policy.
This was expressed in the resolu-
lions and the nominations. Now
that Lewis is going to again win"
the elections, what will the coal
miners do? This is in the mind of
every member of the U. M. w. Of A.
Also of the other coal miners Or
gsnized into the other unions Of
miners.
Lewis Past History
From the most powerful union in
the American labor movement, into
q wreck. was the past course of the
U. M. w. of A. This was done by
the policy and leadership of Lewis.
He betrayed the coke regions and
the formerly unorganized fields in
1922. He signed separate agree
ments. letting the coal companies
sign up for some mines and keep
the others non-union. He tried to
solve" the unemployed problem in
the mines by driving 100000 coal
miners out of the industry.
And to do this, Lewis carried on
a sharp fight against the members
and rank and file opposition fight
ers in the union. District presidents
and local leaders we're expelled.
Local charters were revoked. Lewis
supporters were appointed" in
their places. Whole locals and dis
tricts were kicked out and the back
bone of the union smashed.
This is the history of the Lewis
machine. All Of the miners know
this. Nothing was too brutal or too
hard for the Lewis machine, Some
of the best fighters were shot and
killed. Others we're sent to jail.
Elections we're stolen and conven-
tons packed.
Out of this fight the union was
smashed. New unions we're organ
lied. The National Miners Union
was formed. In Illinois the Progress
sive miners of America was organ
lied. In Indiana two unions were
formed besides the U. M. w. Of A.
They were the Knox County Min
ers Association" and the Indiana
Miners Association" In hard coal
the miners formed the United An
thracite Miners of Pennsylvania. "
In washington it was the west
ern Miners Union" In Kentucky
the Independent Miners of Eastern
Kentucky" were organized. In Can
ada the mine Workers Union of
Canada" and the "Amalgamated
Mine Workers of Nova Scotia" were
formed.
Lewis New Deal"
This was the result Of the activity
of Lewis, and Of the desire Of the
rank and file to have unions that
fought for the miners. True, some
of these unions also had leaders
like Lewis. Still others were COM
pany unions. Some like the National
Miners Union, the Mine Workers
Union Of Canada and the Amalga-
mated Mine Workers of Nova Scotia
were revolutionary unions. But the
miners ranks we're divided.
In the last year or so, many of
the miners came back into Lhe
United Mine Workers. They were
promised a new deal" They were
going to get better conditions and
leadership. The spirit of the rank
and file was high. OF course they
would get into struggle, but who
saw miner that was not ready to
fight.
After the union was reorga2izad
the following took place. The U. M.
w. of A. has about 30 districts. Only
about 4 of them had or have
elected" officers. Even in these
districts the votes were stolen and
the Lewis Machine won" by their