Evening star., 1937-02-07

AND GREEN FAILEI
ton who believe that the president Of
the United Mine Workers should COM
ply with that request rise to their
feet"
Another pause.
THE chair sees one delegate arise.
again, let those delegates Of this
convention who believe that the
policies enunciated by this convention
should be carried out by the president
OF their organization and his associate
officers rise to their feet"
A cheering, shrieking response met
the call.
Then Lewis turned to Green who
had stood, flushed. during the demon
stration:
president Green. you have received
the answer Of the United Mine Work.
ers of America to your ultimatum. 1t
is not for the president Of the United
Mine Workers Of America to amplify
with mere words an expression OF
principle and a conviction so deep
seated, so pronounced and so trsdi-
tional as exists with reference to this
question.
you come as an ambassador from
another organization to the United
Mine Workers of America. hope. sir,
that you have been treated with all
the courtesies and honors due an am
bassador, but you have and you may
carry back to your organization the
answer Of the United Mine Workers Of
America that has Just been given by
this convention"
Speak In Undertones.
For just a second Green and Lewis
spoke together in an undertone. then
the head Of the federation marched
from the platform, to shrill jibe from
q far corner:
Back to the mines, Bill"
The implication in Lewis reference
to Green as an Ambassador" was not
lost at least on some Of his hearers.
It was a challenge for equality. Lewis
was ready and making his bid.
It recalled the prediction Of writer
in connection with the coal strike Of
1922.
within the next decade or So" he
said, "it is likely that one of the tower
ing figures in the industrial field Of
America and the world Of trade union
ism at large will be John L. Lewis,
president Of the United Mine Workers,
the man who has virtually held in the
hollow Of his hand the will Of more
than 100000 miners during the coal
strike Of the last three or four months"
John Lewis has been nurtured in in
dustrial strife. He will be 81 years
old February IL, and more than half
Of his life has been spent in the en-
battled ranks Of labor.
The son Of an Iowa coal miner. he
had but little schooling before follow
ing in his fathers footsteps. Seven
teen years Of this in the central fields,
and then, in 1909, Lewis got his real
start in labor circles when appointed
legislative agent for the mine workers.
He attracted the attention Of Sam
Gompers, president Of the American
Federation Of Labor, and in 1911 be-
came his personal representative,
serving for six years.
Then came an appointment as chief
statistician of the Mine Workers,
headed at the time by John P. White
Of Iowa and when White left in 1917,
and Frank j. Hayes, vice president
(now Lieutenant Governor Of Colo
rado), assumed the presidency, Lewis
was named vice president. Whites
health failed the next year. and Lewis
stepped into the breach, first acting
as president and later. winning elec-
ton and taking office in his own
right, February 6, 1920.
Took Absolute Charge.
There never was any doubt as to
who was In the drivers seat after
Lewis took over, and he fought oppo-
nents within the organization with
the same facility with which he at
tackled those outside.
He led one strike In 1919, In which
the Federal Government intervened
and won for the miners the largest
wage increase they ever obtained. In
1922 the coal diggers again went out
when they refused to take q wage
cut that was general in industry, and
after six-month tie-up, they sue
ceeded In holding their ground, in
creasing the prestige of "King Lewis
| l." as enemies dubbed him.
In the meantime the, union wa
having internal troubles, fomented
Lewis and his supporters charged, by
the Communist regime at Moscow
seeking to gain control Of the Amer.
ican labor movement.
Rather oddly. in view of the situa-
ton now prevailing, the Lewis faction
charged that an aim Of this cam.
paign was conversion Of all craft
trade unions into single units oi
workers within an industry known q
industrial unions" with ,-ordina.
ton under q super-Soviet union
owing allegiance to and accepting
the mandates Of the Communist In
ternationale and its subsidiary, tht
Red Trade Union International a,
Moscow" This was the well-remem-
bered zone big union" scheme.
There was bloodshed In this war.
| fare, the "Herrtn massacre Ia Ill.