The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 11, 1930, Page 6

By BILL GEBERT ‘The strike of the Illinois miners, under the militant leadership of the National Miners Union, which be- gan..on December 9th, with 10,000) joining.the ranks of the local strike, | * H Sac} | riders _and force migra to do} ), brought into the struggle | miners to be terrorized by the thug- welt. Os Sse a ga cu, “Accanaing to the aliiois Denese. | tues on the militia. |minutes overtime without pay.| According to the Illinois Dep: Smash the check-off, spread the| Sheriffs deputized gunmen and attacked picketing miners and their wives and children; the U.M.W.A. officials thanked the deputies pub-| liely for it, and sent special trains! of scabs. The governor sent five | companies of militia, who seized the N.M-U. headquarters at Taylorville | and made it their own headquarters. Sheriff Pritchard used tear hombs and machine guns at Coella, and seized the N.M.U. office there. The N.M.U, district office at West | Frankfort was raided, everything tl there. | Rene- | Party | ville to smash the strike There were many arrests gades from the Communi: st Can Spread Illinois Strike ___ Desbite Terror and Mistakes' Coat Diggers Can’t Stand Horrible Condition Any Longer, Know UMW Has Betrayed Them jeral worsening of conditions. With} miners in this stru| the help of the local machines of Lewis and Fishwick the b fuse to pay for dead work, they| | discharge men who refuse to work | organizers of the strike. | Penalties are enforced not only for} finding rock in the coal, but even for a piece of wood. | many ynine to ten hours actually in mines. | carried out. j the miners’ pay is not only for the U.M.W.A. rent, light, docking, bug light; in Saline County they are paying} money). local grievances together with Ne taken. The I.W.W. and the bossces | | and U.M.W. co-operated at Collins- | general demands of the N.M.U., mum wage social insurance for un- VATA WURDE, WEY LURK, DALURUAL, JAINUAINE Li,sivou Jemployed, equal rights for Negro | miners, fighting against discrimina- {tion and Jim Crowism can be uti- lized to mobilize the miners for a gigantic struggle which will smash | not ‘only the check-off, but the fas- | cist gangsters of the U.M.W.A. In this struggle much more at- ntion must be paid to the question | jof bringing young miners into the | leadership of the Union. The young} iggle have proven not only that they are couragecus jon the picket lines, but also that ey are actually the leaders and to correct them, much more effectively {workers in the struggle. {(N.M.U. must lead The N.. the strikes. es Te- tees, through the in dangerous places; discharge trip| {nemployed miners have not ment of Mines in 1927 74,117 miners |were employed in the mines, pro- i 4,926,432 al, Miners tn tres E1164 miners worked, produ: mines are spending from]. 418s tonacaticoal: 9 production of coal has in- creased over 1928, but the number |of men employed in the mines has been reduced to between 51,000 and 52,000. What is the answer in this situa-| tion? To build local unions of the | Nationa: Miners Union in every mine, and establish well-function- | ing sub-district conference commit- tees, and district leadership. These are prerequisites for a successful struggle, strike, build the National of the broad masses of miners the coal fields of Illinois. in other coal fields must learn There are no sa Check off t ety laws en from | officials, but also for and | he miners with scripp (company These and many other them in their territories. smash the check-cff, for the 6-1 ae! National Miners Union, day, 5-day week, $35 a week mini- League. weakened it. Mistakes The National Miners Union lead- ers made bad mistkes. One week was not time enough to prepare the strike, and that time was not well used.. Except at Taylorville, where | Freeman Thompson, N.M.U. organi- | zer, correctly applied the tactic ot | building rank and file strike com- mittees, these were not established; even in Taylorville one of ihe N.M.U. leaders actually advised the miners not to do this but to use| “secret strike committees of three | in each mine.” In spite of all this, the strike is| continuing. Just recently 350 came | out at the Stiritz mine; 500 struck at Taylor Mine No. 5; the Winkle | mine is on strike; the Nigger Hol- low miners refused to enter the mine for two days because of bad air. The miners have many griev- ances, and no longer have any faith | in the U.M.W. grievance commit- | tees, which merely bury their com- plaints and forget them. Conditions Unbearable The local conditions in every mine are unbearable. There are hundreds of grievances arising from the gen- ‘Der Arbetier’ German Comm ‘With the Sixth Anniversary of the Daily Worker the “Arbeiter? Becomes a Weekly Subscribe to the Party Press. _— “Der Arbeiter” — $2.00 per year; 1.00 for 6 months. 26 Union Square [Not Death; Only John! D. Thousands of Illinois Miners and Their Slave Conditions WILL YOU LET THEM BE STARVED | INTO SUBMISSION? Rush Funds at Once to He became famous for giving away a dime for every million dollars he stole. strikers. ing shoe workers. unist Weekly South. is conducting 13 workers’ children. is directing camps 949 Broadway, New York City Join and Build the W.LR. READ AND SUBSCRIBE TO . SOLIDARITY ORGAN OF THE WIR New York City * The District Leadership of the N.M.U.A. fully recognizes its mis- | takes and weaknesses, and is trying that the Na-| tional Miners Union will be able to} lead the} The independent | struggles of the miners in every | mine and every sub-district, spread must ac- | tually organize the strikers and lead them through the pit committees, mass rank and file strike commit- bilization of mass picket lines in front of the mines, and must not permit the Miners | Union! is the watchword and slogan | Miners lesson from the experiences of the | miners in Illinois, so they will not | |make the same costly mistakes as| |was made by the leadership in the | lllinois field. The miners in the| other coal fields must also engage | in local strikes and try to spread | The fight is on. The fight must go on under the leadership of the with the guidance of the Trade Union Unity | ~ HELP THEM WIN! ‘Families Are Fighting Against Unbearable| WORKERS INTERNATIONAL RELIEF | is sending relief to the Illinois) is sending money and clothing to) blacklisted Gastonia workers. is providing relief for the strik-| is conducting a survey of pel-| lagra, the starvation disease,| for the purpose of establishing) a workers’ health clinic in the| for cultural activities for workers and their children. THE TIDE OF CLASS STRUGGLE MOUNTS HIGHER: Build Labor’s Resistance to Employers’ Attacks! The Fourth National Convention of the International Labor Defense, held at Pittsburgh, December 29-31, laid the basis for strengthening working- class resistance to all ruling class persecutions. eel in oe a THE ILD CONVENTION MOBILIZED FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST the BOSSES AND THEIR persecution of Negro workers and farm- ers; attempt to railroad the seven Gastonia strikers and organizers to a living death in prison and George Saul, Cliff Saylors, Stephen Graham, Caudle, Schifrin and the Mineola strikers to long prison terms; sedition laws aimed to remove the class leaders in Illinois, Calif. and Pa.; lynchings and kidnappings, as in North ' Carolina, of Ella May, the Marion six, ' Willie McDaniels, Elbert Totherow, Saul ‘ Wells and Saylors, etc.; The I. L. D. Hails the Workers! —defense of Negroes against persecutions F 4 white terror in Mexico and Latin Amer- ica; oppression through courts, newspapers, police, army and capitalist preparations for imperialist war; attempts to kill workers’ resistance under ' the attack of a growing fascism. ih —determination to defend themselves —resistance everywhere to mounting fascist terrorism ‘—struggle against capitalist class justice —-strikes in Southern Illinois, the South, everywhere —swelling the ranks of the militant labor movement —imprisoned in the class struggle by the bosses —fight to liberate all class war prisoners MOBILIZE AND ORGANIZE THE MASSES FOR STRUGGLE IN THE SHOPS, FACTORIES, MINES Form Defense Branches in All: Industries 4 YOU MUST ENROLL IN THE IMMENSE CAM- PAIGN FOR LIBERATION OF ALL CLASS WAR PRISONERS AND FOR DEFENSE AGAINST EM- PLOYERS’ ATTACKS COLLECT AND RUSH. FUNDS! | Striking SHOE WORKERS Greet the Daily Worker on its | sixth Anniversary birthday. Sixth Anniversary Greetings | To the Workers Organ of the | Communist Party. Esthonian Uus Ilm 2336 3rd Avenue New York City $5.00 | Extends Greetingc to Daily Worker Sixth Anniversary and Con- gratulations to the SOVIET UNION forthe success achieved in carrying through the FIVE YEAR PLAN. WESTERN R. I. S. S. J. STUDY CIRCLE | | | | | THE DAILY WORKER end also pledges itself to con- tinue the fight of defending the Soviet Union against Imperialist Powers, as it sends its heartiest greetings to the U.S.S.R. workers upon the first year of the success of the Five Year Plan. Help Build the Soviet Union The Soviet Government alloted a tract of land— 10,000,000 acres—to be settled by toiling Jews of the Soviet Union. This tract of land, known as Biro-Bidjan, situated in the Soviet Far East, is to be colonized on a socialist basis. The colonization of Biro-Bidjan is part of the general plan for the Socialist construction of the Soviet Union. You can cooperate in this work by joining the ICOR and participating in its campaign. Membership dues $1.00 a year. Send in $1.00 and become a mem- ber of the “ICOR.” Send in your contribution to the ICOR campaign for the Socialist upbuilding of Bido-Bidjan. Write to 799 Broadway, New York, N. Y. The following telegram was sent to all ILD affiliations over the country: IMPERATIVE RUSH TODAY AGAIN FEW DAYS ALL POSSIBLE FUNDS FOR IMMEDIATE NEEDS DEFENSE JANUARY CASES SAYLORS SAUL GRAHAM SHIFRIN ILLINOIS PENNSYLVANIA GASTONIA APPEAL AND SOUTHERN DRIVE AND AGAINST TERROR HERE AND IN LATIN AMERICA STOP TO WORK IN SHOPS FACTORIES MINES STOP SPEED MEETINGS BUILD CONFERENCE INCREASE PROTEST DEMONSTRA- TIONS BASIS CONVENTION DECISION STOP RAISE AND RUSH FUNDS PUSHING RETURN SALES COUPONS AND SHOP STREET HOUSE COLLECTION ENGDAHL JOIN The International Labor a ed ee ae et est aan INTERNATIONAL LABOR DEFENSE 80 East 11th Street New York City Enclosed please find my donation or collection OES i sigsvin ci viea's Defense : NOME’. ccceccvcesseccceccccteetecsee eeeee POUOG iii aE M GE eGR a eee NeWiiedese eben 80 EAST ELEVENTH STREET, ROOM 402 -suaue. _ NEW YORK CITY