The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 23, 1933, Page 5

"MINERS CAN WIN BETTER CONDITIONS ONLY T PENNA. MINERS CONTINUE STRIKE AFTER CODE OK. IN «cALY WORKER, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1933 Page Five DiFIANCE OF Kick Out Lewis and Brood of Strikebreakers, Borich Urges; “You Your Own Hi By F. BORICH warnings of the National Min- Union that the New Deal President would force a strikebreaking code upon the miners unless they fight against it has been fully justi- fied. e warning that Lewis, Fagan, Feeney & Co. would betray the miners so been justified. coce of the scab coal operators, with sl modifications and small sions, has been accepted ., approved by the NRA on and the Labor Ad- nd signed by President The basic wage scale of ir week, union recogni- E , presented jointly by the operators and Lewis has been d in favor of the demands of ators. mised $5.00 in the and $4.50-in the ve around $4.60 Instead of 32- code provides 40-hour led captive mines, Oil and other ad producing coal not for et but for the use of these trusts right to pay lower hoi etc. These luge more than 60 The H. C. Frick of the U. S. Steel that it will not embers of the UMWA or mn but only ith the com- told they w and $2.00 1 per cent of Coal i 0. SY iaore S. d of the promised freedom— 4 Instead of higher ° starvation! ‘ganize and and compul- s how Mr, his promises he gave nt you back to work e vefused to accept ly so, You are s nob the code. ve on strike. The strike took place 2 re the code was signed. struck J..L. Lewis, the pers and every other ¢ a “holiday.” This was inimize the strike, its im- ore and significance. The news- Pep went so far saying that you were striking for the code. All of this was done to prevent the spread- ing of the strike. 70W that the code has been signed and you continue to strike these same newspapers, appearing in the role of “friend,” appeal to you to go back to work and “give the code a chance.” Unanimous decision of your Conference in Pricedale, representing about 60 local unions, to continue the strike was an excellent answer to coal operators’ newspapers. J. L. Lewis sent a telegram to the Pittsburgh Terminal miners and in- structed them to go back to work. The Terminal miners answered this telegram by unanimous vote to con- tinue the strike. Wm. Hargest, district secretary treasurer, sent a letter to all locals structing them to go to work. Most \ the locals answered by destroying the letter even before it was read and okhers by voting it down. An excellent ariswel John O'Leary, international board member, issued a public appeal asking you to go to work. The Westmore- Innd miners answered by a picket line of 10,000. , “fioliday” Lies All of this gives a lie to the state- ments about “holiday” and that you were striking for the code. It was not and it is not a “holiday.” It isa strike. And it was not and it is not ike for the code but against the avery code. . By deciding to continue the strike you miners have taken the right road, the only road that can bring about igher wages, better working and liv- ingconditions, shorter working day, recognition of a union, etc. There is no other way to win these things. Strike is the best weapon! But the National. Miners Union wants to warn you again. The strike- | win. breaking machinery is in the mak- ing. It will include J. L, Lewis and his appointed henchmen, local, county, state and federal govern- ments, the bosses’ press, company po- lice, politicians, judges, ete. You offered in the so-called gen- | Over 60,000 | of the coal operators said that | hi UMWA HEADS Must Take Union in ands to Win” must prepare to meet and to defeat every attempt to break your strike. The losing of this strike means a real slavery for the miners. The strike- breaking machine may not and prob- ably will not use the same methods it used in bréaking the strike in Au- gust. In August they broke the strike by making appeals and many promises, At that time it was pos- | sible to make promises. But the | Promises can not be made any more. It is already evident that this time they will use force. The police and | other armed forces will be used in the | name of law and the NRA, yes,,even |in the name of Roosevelt. | ITH the situation the strike finds | ™¥ itself in now you will not be able to | |meet and defeat the attacks of this | strikebreaking machine. Lewis, Fa- jean, Feeney & Co. still pretend to | speak in your name. They have their |many instances in the leadership of \‘the local unions. These agents in itor own ranks will be used to dis- rupt your solid ranks. You must make | it plain that Lewis is not speaking in | your name. You must make it plain | that the United Mine Workers of America does not belong to Lewis, 2l-year old strike leader. peated attempts of the National Gi Fagan, Feeney & Co. but that it be- longs to you. And this you must make | plain not only in wards but in deeds | as well. | | The most essential, the most urgent, | | the most immediate need for the suc- | Bepcabes conduct of the strike is to} kick out Lewis and every one of his| | appointed organizers. They are your| | seal enemies. Without them the coal | operators can not break your strike. | If you want to win your strike you |must kick them out and kick them) |for away. You must take your union! into your own hands. You must take the strike into your own hands. You | must elect as leaders of your locals the most militant, most loyal, most Gevoted, most tried, most experienced | land the best fighters from among | your own ranks. You must organize, your strike. You must conduct a mass | picketing without which you can not |W | will meet your needs. $4.60 can not !and will not meet your needs. Six |hour day, 5-day week, $6.00 a day, with the increase in wages corre- sponding to the increase in prices, will meet your needs. Recognition of your union, controlied by you, with- make it possible .to fight for still better working and living conditions. The strike is strong. made still stronger and more effective. It can be spread and developed into a victorious strike, But to win your strike you must do what the Utah and New Mexico miners are doing. They came on strike. Martial law was de- clared against their strike. National Guardsmen were sent to break their strike. They were not permitted to picket, not even to hold a dance for relief. Hundreds of them and all the leaders were thrown in jail and are being kept in jail. But the strike re- | mains solid. It is even stronger. In | support of the miners even the school | children came on strike, protesting | against the martial law, against the larrest of their fathers, for the re- lease of the strike leaders, for the right of their parents to organize and strike and to belong to the union of their own choice, The Utah and New Mexico miners are able to conduct such a magnifi- cent strike because, they have re- fused to accept the leadership © of J. L. Lewis and his appointed hench- men. They have accepted the policy and advice of the National Miners Union. They have joined the Na- tional Miners Union and are striking for its recognition You miners of Pennsylvania know that all the advice given to you by the National Miners Union was good advice. Most of you openty say that the policy of the N.M.U. is correct and that strikes can be won only by such a policy. If this policy is cor- rect—and undoubtedly it is—you should accept it and put it into effect. You can belong to the U.M.W.A. and still adopt and carry out the correct policy, a policy that will help you to win your strike. It is your strike and you must organize it so that you can The National Miners Union stands ready to assist you in every way sible. All of its organizers, every one of its members, whether a striker or unemployed, stands at your disposal, ready for your service. ‘ We Receive Another of Those Blessings of N By a Worker Correspondent . MONTOUR No. 10, Pa.—A few days ago we received another of those blessings of the New Deal and the NRA, Because we came on strike 7 times in 3 months and have no money coming, the Pittsburgh Coal Co. closed down its store and we have no place to buy our food even if we would have the money. Now we have to walk more than a mile to private stores to get our food. Mr. Mellon thought that since his policy with notorious Blacky in shazge could not break our strike and since Fagan can not send us back to work, and since we strike against the will of our great strikebreaking Pres- RA New Deal” store which robbed us of every se eae Se Mellon is mistaken. dent of the USA, that he might areak our strike by closing down his ‘in. | You must have strike demands that | out the check-off for Lewis, will pro- | |tect you against the operators and | Tt can be) N.R.A. ADMINISTRATORS, in ready to smash up a mass meeting | the National Miners’ Union. The | their release was forced through m: | tion-wide protest. | MINERS MEETING in Gallup, N. M., addressed by Martha Roberts, Troops are v2 terrorize the miners, The miners held ma téred through the crowd to s meetings despite the re- uard to smash their meetings, the n, of strikers, addressed by leaders of leaders were all arrested later, but ass pressure of the miners and na- first one, is of a greater import strike. The first strike was directed if not by the coal operators. ‘The second strike is a direct result of the betrayal of the Lewis-Fagan- Feeney machine, a result of the un- derstanding that the promises of Roosevelt Johnson - McGrady were empty promises. It is a ike against the provisions contained in the code singed by Roosevelt. The newspapers are attempting to explain the strike as a “holiday.” But this “holiday” the very first day Lewis Won't Let Jobless in UMWA By a Worker Correspondent FINLEYVILLE, Pa.— A. group of us unemployed miners wanted to join the United Mine Workers of America. We wanted to join in order -to help the strikers win the strike and fight against the strike- breaking Lewis machine. We were not admitted because we are un- employed. I understand that in many places the unemployed can not join the U. M. W. A. simply because they ar& unemployed. I know for a fact that the unem- ployed can not get the floor to speak at’the local union meeting even where they are admitted. Pricedale Miners Take Care of Drunken UMW. _ Official at Meeting (By 2 Worker Correspondent) PRICEDALE, . Pa.—Last week some 15,000 miners gathered here to hear the report of the confer- ence of the local officers who de- clared a strike. Hynes and Ma- lone, U. M. W. A. organizers were present but did not dare to attend. Mr. Malone, more than half drunk went on the platform to make a speech without even being introduced. The first and the only sentence he said was: “J. L, Lewis is the greatest leader of the miners.” He was immediately forced off the platform. No one could see him any longer. I am of the opinion that mére than half of the miners already see that strikes can be won if they are conducted the way the Na- tional Miners Union says. The be- trayal of Lewis, Roosevelt and the rest of them is opening the eyes of many miners who will refuse to be betrayed any longer, ” Miners’ Next Step Against the Code By V. KEMENOVICH. HE second strike of the Pennsylvania miners, while not as broad as the | | The ance and significance than the first mainiy against the company union | and for the recognition of the UMWA, with the miners holding great il- Iusions that all of their demands would be granted by President Roosevelt ® Ps Ne turned out int iss pick jicket lines and ‘marches that shut down the mines in Fayette, Westmoreland, Greene, Washington and Allegheny Counties. shooting of sixteen miners, wounding of close to fifty and a battle with the coal and iron police of the H. C. Frick Coal Co. typifies the “holiday” proclaimed by the capitalist press. * Demands of Second Strike RED ROCK CAVE where miners in Arizona, across the state line after martial law forbade meetings of more than three people. Miners I Scenes of NRA Military Rule Against the Militant Strike of New Mexico zed by the Nat’l Miners These are the first photographs of the strike, printed exclusively in the Daily Worker. HROUGH OWN ACTION Union Many of these miners walked 21 miles to attend the mass meeting of the National Miners’ Union to plan a continuation of their strike to victory. MARTHA ROBERTS, strike leader, addressing a mass mecting @ of miners under the surveillance of troops. Miner Had Hopes of N.R.A. But Sees | 2 Strikers Killed (By a Worker Correspondent) The second strike of the miners is 5 P directed against the company union, BROWNSVILLE, Pa.—The strik- | for the recognition of the United | ing miners in this territory got a a Bilge sf ataaried Joc dgne good taste of the “New Deal’ of , checkweighmen and | yy, . scales on tipples and other local de- pee iat hacer , mands. No one has any illusions now that Roosevelt will force the op-| gun shots and hundreds clubbed erators to grant the demands, The|#nd tear gassed. I think thirty-six code signed by Roosevelt. And they|™miners are facing murder charge miners are striking against the very| for the death of a Yellow Dog. All are determined to win the strike. of this because the NRA of Mr. But the determination alone is not Roosevelt gives the right to belong gulficient. In order to win the strike | to the union of our own choosing. ie “New - Deal.’ oe eee Lewis, Fh ento Last week over 100 families were Say elias ee Chee al cut from relief only at one relief ditions that Will increase starvation, plea ae or ‘¢ mn bea »|are the mines of H. C. Frick Coa beers Piiiops ‘i San. Co., which has declared that it will , pro! es and force a ; | employ only those miners who are bitration upon the mifiers. The job| for th i of the Arbitration boards will be to minde bapa "6 arty 7: phat the ne Ada ganizations will be employed. great I was one of those that had great old Joint ponies aid. hopes in the New Deal but now I | see that we the miners will get our deal only when we organize with | Lewis and Feeney out of our ri ; and when we make the bosses to | give us a square deal, . y Gare miners already showed that they can lead their own struggles. This is being done in both of these strikes. The rank and file leader- ship organized mass marches and picketing, fought for and won relief | for the strikers from the counties, conducted the strike despite all the instructions and obstacles put in the way by the laeders. But this rank and file leadership capa be strengthened, it must have a clear idea what the strike is facing, how ‘Test of Leadership to conduct the strike, what demands) A leadership elected on this basis, to adopt, etc, lon t.o bosis of loyaity and deter- The strike is facing a real test, | mination, to carry cn the strike to a The leadership must be unified and victory, must be the sole represonta- determined to meet and solve any|tive of the miners. Under no cir- situation. This requires that the | cumstances must the miners pertit miners in each union must check| the top officials or the arbitration up on their local leaders, All those| boards, or the government media- who are tied up with the Lewis,| tors to negotiate for the miners, Fagan, Feeney machine, who, are Any such negotiation will result in continuously advocating the return | tie betvayal of the strike. to work, who are hesitating and| Miners, the only guarantee you Spreading rumors, who are opposed | have to win your strike, to win rec- to militant mass actions, must be | ognition of your union, to smash the eliminated from the positions they | company union, to win higher wages, now hold in local unions and re-/| better working and living conditions, Placed by the best elements, To|is to take the strike into your own permit these henchmen of the Lewis, | hands. Fagan, Feeney machine to remain local officers, to represent the min- ers in any capacity, means the de- |feat ci the strike, The miners can not afford to suffer a defeat. + WITH BAYO@NETS READY guardsmen on strike duty sit outside of the National Miners’ Union at Gal- lup, New Mexico. the union of their own choice. Thousands of miners quit the pits to demand recognition of the National Miners’ Union— Ma estab! the t and maintenanc s of the pro! at, s an instrument of the ip of the proletariat.” dic The victorious advance of the So- viet class: on the road to Socidlism has been made possible through the relentless struggle waged by the Communist Party under the} firm leadership of Stalin against the blocking and defeatest policy of vacil- | lators and opportunists. .The struggle | was waged on two fronts against the Right opportunist opposition | to the accelerated, tempo of s0-| Cialist construction. and against the Trotzkyists, now lined up with all the enemies of the Soviet Union, who de- Decides Not to Pay Lewis fer Privilege of Getting Wage Cuts (By a Worker Correspondent) | COVERDALE, P: Coverdele i one of the Pittsbu Terminal Co. mines. It to Mr. Taplin who made spee D. C., for a $5 82 hour w have an a, pany signed b; we came on sic wage scale, the miners and spreading the strike from one mine to course, we did tl structions of us that we have no reason to strike and must remain at work. Now that the code has been signed for $4.60 a day, 40 hour week Mr. Taplin wanted vs to go back to work | se at once. He d'd not tell us this but he got J. L. Lewis to send telegram and order us to work, At the meeting of our local union we voted to a men not to go to work but to remain on strike for our| demands. | In the last 26 months we were paying Lewis and Fagan to cut our wages. We decided not to do it any longer. We are go to strike | if necessary till hell free ‘o that. we can improve ‘our conditions. | And Mr. Lewis will not de: when we will go back to work and under what conditions. We our-| selves will decide this rx, Lenin, and Stalin in Washington, | tt us aj fi tur to them, lin In the has succeeded in ithin memb its ranks, and hip into a coherent whole, it is because it has shaken itself free from opportun- ism, has purged itself of the men- sheviks and of all these who would fain relinquish the gains of the revolution.” Thé@ success of the Communist Party of the S Union is the suc- cess of all the Communist Parties, of the world proletariat. Bolshevism international. The Leninist theo! and practice have guided the inter- ational proletariat since the found- ing of Leninism. The Party of Lenin is the world Communist Party, the Communist International, of which is an organic ation of the our brother x Party of the t Union, is a jubilee in which ‘oughout on for incre: fense of the Sov nding, we id that our Party h i egro. people, under the olutionary o-day struggle ding to the overthrow of the capi- talist order and the estab! the dictatorship of the letariat, We must realize that we can be quali- fied to perform that historic task onl: by rooting ourselves among the or’ iat, in united | sdclle | | } | ment of | are suppo: ers in the basic industries, only when | e we rise as a mass Bolshevik Party out of the ranks of the American work- ing class. \Explains Why Some By a Worker Correspondent LOWBER, Pa. — Here in Lowber mine we took up the guestion of | striking together with the rest of the miners, Our local leaders, among whom is Billy Hynes, organizer of the UMWA, advised us not to strike. They ne mine management to the s for the treatment of the mine 1 having their local henchmen - ded heav ers, | well organized, voted not to strike. Some of the men who understand that this action against strike, while all the other miners are striking, plays into the hands of the coal operators, did not voice their opinion because | of fear that they might lose the job. But I think the mine will hot work as the miners in the other mines und us are determined that no mine shall work until our demands are granted. We must know that if the strike is lost that we will be partly respon- sible for it and that our conditions will be worse than they are today. We do not get pay for dead work, - we have no scale, and we make -no- thing. Tells Miners to Go . Back to Pits; Drive Him from Platform By a Worker Correspondent — Recently Mr. e-president of the United Mine Workers of Am- erica was driven from the platform by the r He urged us toxgo back to wo: k. It is well known that we 1e on strike seven times in the last three months. The or- F cers of the U. M. W. A. feel ssed that we are striking obey promise to ill be no e reception they are receiving lately they do it i not come here Many s ith these or front of those ing F n't he come to Maybe Fagan would do better Two of the Fagan followers could not stand this any longer. They went to his house and pleaded with him to come to speak. But ‘agen decided not to come.