Page THE MILITANT Saturday, FeSruary 1, 1930 After the Miners Strike TROTSKY en op Today mounted on tegemist Prospects for New Struggles in New Bedford of Belleville and trying to replace them with fidallers from Chicago and preachers of the Latter Day Saints and Nazarene sects as was done in Taylorville, is not a correct policy with which to build the NatOperators and Reactionary Union Leaders vs. the Illinois Miners ional Miners Union and must be corrected.
The writings of Trotsky These men have been in the forefront of are the richest and most fruitful By Joseph Angelo all the great struggles of the Illinois min contributions being made to the ers fro many years past and will continue labor and revolutionary The fighting tradition of the Illinois unfit to handle any affairs pertaining to the moveto be, despite the childish attacks of the coal miners is not dead; and the events of inine workers. The trial was like a match ments today. There is not a probStalin Foster clique. Future events and last December the strike of the National put to a cannon. It has awakened many lem that great Bolshevik touches pressure from below will prove that the Miners Union, despite many avoidable which is not immediately illuminminers and it marks the end of a rotten present policy is incorrect.
ated in all its aspect.
shortcomings and the court injunction episode in the life of the coal miners and And the squable between Lewis vs. Fishwick with problems he deals with concern the beginning of a period of growth of the Stalinists Retreat Partially the most vital interests of the no bread in the homes of many miners National Miners Union. Both Lewis and Under the blows of the Communist whole movement.
has made it more alive.
Fishwick are playing hookey from the League (Opposition. the Stalin Foster Of course, the strike of the National graveyard.
leadership has been forced to admit part The international labor and Miners Union has been defeated, by the The National Miners Union is growing Communist movements are in a of their mistakes and adopt a progarm of critical situation. Never has the combined efforts of the state government, slowly from mining camp to mining camp immediate demands, which should have need for clarity been so urgent as the coal operators and the Lewis Fishwick while the Lewis Fishwick company union is been done before the strike. Yet, to adopt machines. But, beneath the defeat the min declining every at an increasing speed. a program which reads. Dally Worker it is today. Never has the need ers are stirring and this liable to flare up The miners are for the National Miners for straight Marxist thinking been 9 30) that the miners must be imbued so pressing. Nobody is doing more into a statewide struggle any day. The Union and the experience of e strike has with the spirit of preparation for the comin this field than Trotsky.
coal operators Lewis Fishwick machine, had a tremendous effect in awakening the ing general national movement of the minwith the support of the state government militancy of the miners. Whatever mis ers, which will come next Fall. is not The situation in the Soviet Union, the fountain head of the are desperately fighting to crush this ris takes the National Miners Union made in enough. Fishwick is afraid of the Indiana revolutionary ing tide of militant feeling among the the course of the last strike, the Stalin miners whose contract expires next April movement today, which offers so many complexities miners, Foster leadership is responsible and the and that is why he is trying to prepare the to the average observer, is made Labor Bosses As Operators Tools members of the Communist Party must see minds of the miners of Illinois and Indiana clear and understandable by TrotThe reason for this is obvious. Cap that the mistakes are corrected. The policy against a militant struggle. The National Italism cannot live as at present organized of trying to side track and lying about such sky writings. In fact, the course Miners Union must make not only the Inof events in the Soviet Union and without longer hours, lower wages, speedmilitant and staunch fighters as John Watt diana strike but every strike an opportunthe Russian Communist Party can up systems, etc. And the coal operators of Springfield, Ed Morgan of Staunton, ity for launching demonstrations of nationbe evaluated properly only by a with the support of their agents, the Lewis Fritz Bode of Taylorville and Luke Coffey al solidarity.
reading of the works of the RusFishwick machine, have got even concealed slan Opposition which Trotsky their true objectives. Today hundreds upon speaks for and leads.
In the United States, Trotsky pated in the lagt National Miners Union New Bedford textile workers who made is in New Bedford. While in the South, writing appear regularly in the strike are being fired from their jobs by Militant. Just as the first writthe has many supporters, due the bosses, and their places filled with unhistory in 1928 under the militant leaderto the semi legal character of the work, ings of Lenin in this country beemployed miners brought in special trains ship of the National Textile Workers Union With almost are again going into action.
came a mighty instrument for the by the Lewis Fishwick flunkeys from minthe union does not function to any great molding of the revolutionary moveextent. In most Southern towns it hardly half of the 30, 000 textile workers of the ing camps where the mines have been ment years ago, the writings of closed down many years. But this does city unemployed they are demanding im functions at all. In New Bedford on the other hand, the work is carried on regularTrotsky now are playing the same not solve the problem because these new mediate action to meet the critical situarole in the movement at a differminers soon realize that they are up tion.
ly, meetings are held and the union is a ent stage, Whether the will be able factor in the community against the same problem that their blackAlthough the Among the articles by Trotsky United Textile Workers Union likewise has Ilsted brothers were, They soon realize to meet the present tasks is difficult to that have appeared in the Militant that one of the obstacles in their road to determine at present. Two of the leaders a strong branch in the city, the Left wing recently are: Disarmament and better conditions 18 the Lewis Fishwick of the struggle of two years ago, Eli Keller union fights it every inch of the way.
the United States of Europe.
machine, which must be replaced before and Ellen Dawson, have been eliminated While the United Textile Workers Syndicalism and Communism. The any gains can be made from the union on purely Communist Party Union membership in the main consists of Austrian Crisis and Communism.
It is either ishwick or Lewis that lines while Raphael Pires, the editor of the the skilled workers, weavers, loom fixers Who is Leading the Communist comes to the aid of the coal operators Communist Party newspaper in the Por and spinners, the membership of the International? What is Happening whenever it is necessary, as for instance tugese language published in New Bedford is composed mostly of the unskilled, in China? Twelve years of the in an editorial of a recent issue of the has likewise been eliminated at the behest such as warpers, spoolers, carders and Russian Revolution. The Defense Illinos Miner, where Fishwick wrote that of the Stalinites. It is not necessary to speeder tenders.
of the Soviet Union and the Oppoafter the contract of the Indiana miners defend Dawson, Keller, Pires and others At present the two unlons are divided sition. Etc. Etc. No active worexpires next April 1st, the Illinois miners for their support of the Right wing proon national lines the highly skilled United ker can afford to be without these will not strike to support their brother gram of Lovestone. It is necessary to show Textile Workers being mostly English and contributions which appear only in miners in Indiana to renew their contract that the Party narrow faction game is French Canadians while the members and the Militant.
nor to fight for better working conditions, being allowed to weaken the union supporters of the are in the In 1930, the Militant plans to Fishwick here, as always, is not expressing struggle. Only those who believe in cer main Portugese and Polish.
continue the publication of Trotthe sentiments of the Illinois miners or tain interpretation of Communism, will be If the present organization drive is to sky writing, which will include helping the Indiana miners, on the contrary allowed to lead the New Bedford masses, mean anything it must immediately break some of the most brilliant work Fish wick here is the official mouthpiece of says the official Communist Party. This is down the national barriers and have the he has yet done in the course of the coal operators and by such action gives similar to decisions made in the Needle English, French Canadians, Portugese and his years in the revolutionary direct support to the coal operators and Trades Workers Industrial Union and other Polish workers unite in a common struggle. movement. The best way to insure stabs the Indiana miners in the back and organizations. Such a policy can only lead One of the greatest weaknesses of the 1928 getting these copies of the Militant at the same tries to shatter the mili to chaos and defeat for the working masses, strike from the point of view of the Left regularly, is to subscribe for a tancy of the Illinois miners. struggle of the broad masses cannot be wing union, was the divisior. on national year. yearly subscription is And Lewis is not one whit better. Al based at the present stage upon a faction lines. The inability of the to 00 or 00 for six months.
ready while speculating on the out come of a political party, but upon all workers gain more than a score of supporters among of the injunction trial, his henchmen, in who want to fi? ht under a militant banner.
the English and French Canadian workers stead of organizing West Virginia and KenJust as in 1928 when the was one of the principal reasons why the tucky are gathering hordes of unemployed had to fight on two fronts, that is against Left wing was not more successful than miness and promising them that in case of the mill owners and the United Textile it actualy was. If the membership of the a favorable decision, he will ship them into Workers Union led by William Batty, so had been more varied in comIllinois to replace those miners that refuse will its present organization drive which position the sellout of the strike by the to accept his orders.
may lead to a new strike, also be fought United Textile Workers Union in Septem JUST RECEIVED!
Although the trial to set aside the inon two fronts. Under such conditions, the ber 1928 may not have succeeded.
function began on ember 18th, the judge broadest ssible basis for support must be In lef: the present organization has not yet rendered a decision, but the obtained and all sections of the working drive, which the says is leadconcensus among the miners is that Fishclass be allowed to participate in the ing up to a geceral strike, to be successful wick, because of the support of the majorstruggle.
must be a broad movement, otherwise it ity of the coal operators of Illinois and The prospects for developing the Nat will fail. All workers must participate and THE BULLLETIN of the Russian Opposition the state political administration will get tonal Textile Workers Union in New Bedbe given responsible positions. Let the a more favorable decision than Lewis, But ford into a powerful organization are un Stalinist leadership forsake their factional The new issue contains artic. es by Lewis, also, because of the support from usually bright. In fact, the actual duesgame, which only discredits the Left wing Trotsky on the Twelfth Annicertain influential coal operators will be paying membership in that city is larger and gives ammunition to Lovestone, and the versary of the Russian Revolution, able to appeal the injunction to a higher than in any other part of the country. It New Bedford workers in 1930 will more Communism and Syndicalism, Syndicourt.
1s no exaggeration to state that the only than repeat their heroic struggle of two Trial Serred Good Purpose calism Mistakes in Principle, the organized mass base of the union at present years ago. FRANK BROMLEY Austrian Crisis, China, etc. etc. ArRegardless of the final outcome of the ticles by Christian Rakovsky on Govinjunction trial, it has served a good purCMIMIC RIM CAPTURINN COMITUKSIIKINRICIRIINIMCIMINATESWARAN ernment Policy and the Party Regime, pose. It tore the false mask from both the Capitulators. Letters from RussLewis and Fish wick and showed that both ian Oppositionists in Exile. An unpubof them are crooks, election swindlers, lisbed document of the Petersburg agents of the coal operators, grafters and For the Benefit of the Weekly Militant Party Committee on the eve of the on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1930 at pm uprising, concealed by Stalin. And at the many other important articles and It the number on your wrapper is HUNGARIAN HALL, 823 Enst 70th Street documents.
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Inicio CLILISIR CETTE CHARLOTTEID THE MILITANT, Vol. III, No. 5, February 1920. Published weekly by the Communist League of America (Opposition) at 25 Third Avenue, New York, Subtription rate: 00 per year; foreign 50. Five cents per copy. Bundle rates, centaper copy. Editorial Board: Martin Abern, James Cannon, Max Shachtman, Mauleta lasten taback. Entered as second class mall matter November 28, 1928, at the Post Office at New York, under the act of March 3, 1879. Total No. 30 MILITANT DANCE 30