The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 21, 1925, Page 7

Si se ence AE EE Ore RD , union to present a_ different thé. streets lis “The idea becomes } power when it pene- trates the masses.” —Karl Marx. 100 PER By NORMAN TALLENTIRE. HE bankruptcy of the officialdom of the United Mine Workers of America can be best judged from first hand ‘observation in the strike fields and from ‘reading the columns of the enemy. press. derly strike we have ever known,” says a Scranton newspaper. This is symptomatic of the propaganda which all local papers are carrying. A news time in another paper states that “all churches, catholic and protestant of- fered a prayer for curtailment of the strike in Landsford and Coaldale yes- terday.” While this is the attitude of the bosses’ press, unthinking workers might expect the officialg-of a labor view- point, a militant defense of the work- ers and of the workers’ organization. The very reverse, however, is the cage, in fact, the officials of the min- ers themselves in every public speech or statement have worked overtime to prove that it is a “respec- table strike” waged in the interests of “the whole community.” This was the key note of the speech of John L, Lewis and _ the lesser lights who appeared with him before the striking. miners’ at Nan- ticoke. The meeting was called by the local scale committee drew some 5,000 moners into town so that three theaters were filled and a crowd on to the. speech by means” of radio equipment as did those in the two lesser theaters, N line with the policy of the Lewis machine bysiness men and priests were in the forefront at the meeting. After greetings by the mayor the first speaker was Rev. Father Curran of Wilkes-Barre who is credited with “settling” several strikes in this region. The father stated he had been on strike in 1869 and had worked for $1.45 per day. This infor- mation to the miners who are ‘strik- ing for an average of approximately $7.00 per day seems to cheer the au- dience considerably, Kennedy and Murray, secretary and vice president of the U. M. W. of A. then speak. Murray creating a furore when in an argument in defense of the check-off he suddenly turned on the venerable father with the remark: “Why even the church has the check- off.” At this sudden onslaught the father’s temperature rose visibly first his face became red then purple and he appeared in danger of apoplexy almost, while Lewis stiffened into a rigid attention with his black looks “of disapproval for his colleague who »had made such a tactical blunder as eto drag. the question of church into thé argament. . Lewis rising at 5: 26 | >. m, (many of: “the audience. have been! waiting for him since 12:30 a; m.)° draws atten- , tion’ to the late hour and. then pro- ceeds with his. speech in line with all his previous-utterances, which con- stitutes an attempt to prove the “re- spectability” of this 100 per cent American strike. Relating again the incidents leading to the suspension of mining Lewis in- sists that the check-off: must be the basis of any settlement and instead of basing his argument of an increase in wages upon the need of the toilers in the mines, seeks to prove by ex- amples of the:sale of coal how the mine owners. can well afford to pay the increase in wages without any in- crease in the price of coal “to the public,” HE PUBLIC” is always handled with the utmost care by the| By mental hocus pocus the meeting of | . “This is the most or-| SPECIAL MAGAZINE SUPPLEMENT CENT “greatest. laber leader’ in the world.” miners forgetting the needs of the miners seems to be *turned into “a, meeting where only the interests of “the public” are discussed . The poverty and misery of many miners, the long “struggle, the inces- sant toil, the hazard and dangers of | the industry, the need for safeguard THE DAILY WORKER. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1925. <p 200 rn SECOND SECTION This magazine supple- ment will appear every Saturday in The Daily Worker. “The Most Orderly Strike We Have Ever Seen.” ahd protection of miners, and for de- cent standards of living are ignored, while great care is taken to prove the “operators” are gouging the poor pub- lic and piling up millions in profit for themselves. But for the fact of these fabulous millions it appeared that the demands of the miners for safe work- ing conditions and decent standards of Ernest U. &. S&S. R. “(By Mail).—The Urals group of the Czecho-Slovak workers’ delegation, consiting of six social demo- crats, one national sociatist, two non-party workers and two Com- the Urals and expressed ‘their amazement at the progress made by the workers in Soviet Russia, despite the interference of foreign powers. “We, the delegates of the Czecho-Slovakian working class declare on the basis of our personal examination of all industrial branches and cultural institutions, that your “state is acutally led and admin- istered by the workers,” read the official declaration of the Czecho- - Slovak workers which was read to the Russian workers and peasants. “The energy given to the reconstruction of your industries is really wonderful. There are naturally various technical deficiencies, but these are the result of the war destruction suffered by your country. We declare openly that the standard of life here is higher than that in Our country. We hold it to be our duty to make good as far as pos- sible all the damage and injury done to your country. by the Czechish legionnaires who were treacherously drawn into a war against you. We will join ih the great work of consolidating and maintaining the international working class front.” AMAZED AT RUSSIAN PROGRESS. munists, visited this section which is, the largest industrial center of . living would fall to the ground. Small wonder then that nothing was heard of the real economic back- ground of this fight. The mention of the class struggle would constitute an indecent interruption of such a de- corus meeting. Consequently any ac- tion based upon real class lines is ab- solutely ignored. There is no hint that relief will be forthcoming forthe strikers in distress, no call upon | om the workers to come:to, the assist of these strikers who. are ipythe f nt line trenches is given by this “leader of labor.” The maintenance men will continue to keep the mine properties in shape to open up new entries and new veins ready for the start of op- erations. Despite the fact that coal mined under these conditions will be sold by the operators during the “suspension.” No suggestion of a gen- eral strike is permitted to enter in the discussion, altho such action has been demanded by local unions out- side the strike region. After a speech of one hour in which Lewis has spared no effort to show his regard for the “public,” he again (as in Shamokin) suddenly realized that “the hour grows unseemly” and thus brings his seemly homily to an end, and the meeting is dispersed. HE striking miners gather in groups and seem to be dumbfounded by this kind of leadership, . ‘When will the strike be over?” Will we win out?” “Will we get our full ne af are remarks passed trom Soft e other. “He doesn’t tell nthe ‘ about stopping shipment of coal,” “Why don’t he pull out the mainten- ance men?” “Why doesn't he call a strike in the soft coal fields?” These are the questions of the miners which remain unanswered and not by the slightest inference is any suspicion of class warfare suggested despite the constant arming of mine guards and the presence of increased numbers of state “cossacks” thruout the. strike region. é Such suggestions would surely be frowned upon by the decent public, which must be treated very carefully, no matter at what hazard to the miners who are urged to continue the struggle under the present conditions with “faith in their leaders.” ~The first consideration in the con- duct of this meeting and of the strike in the light of Lewis’ speech appears to be not in the interest of the miners, but of the public. No protests” are tolerated, no meeting can “be held without official pérmits. “The, r questions remain chanswete us Lewis and his cohorts continue=their “100% American strike.” | ry : EX T _ WEEK! ! Another Article on the 1905 Russian Revolution