Batutday, April 12, 1930 THE MILITANT Pago THE SITUATION AMONG THE COAL MINERS Open rebellion on a wider scale than By ARNE SWABECK position of maintaining the closest conever before is once more the answer to tact and extending its Intluence among the rule of corruption and reactionary them? That is now the decisive question.
policies which have long dominated the progressive direction. Secondly to re ican species of trade union centrists need return to a correct policy can yet make United Mine Workers Union and reduced gard this first step as a finished product to be steadily exposed for their weaknessess the National Miners Union that is, the or it to a mere shadow of its former strength.
would be sheer folly. This important sec and vacillations. The miners must conganized Left wi. an important factor Its main result to date, that of setting tion of the working class set into motion, tinually be on guard to thwart inevitable both in developments in the unorganized important working class forces into mobreaking the bounds of the Lewis rule, betrayal and treachery from them. powfields as well as within the organized section, notwithstanding its as yet obscure cannot be expecte to be checked or cowed erful Left wing in this new union will be tions. But its methods and functions must direction, may have far reaching signifiby a Fishwick or other, like him, coal one of the ways to guide this movement of necessity constantly change in concance for the inmediate future of the operator agents. Thirdly, there is the ob into militant channels, and at the same formity with developing conditions.
American labor movement. Without rejective position of the new union, with a time to expose more efectively these 50The union still under control of John Comcognition of these facts, a correct estibasis of rebellion, to be considered.
called progressives who will more and more Lowls embraces important sections of mate of the events in connection with the petition with Lewis in delivering the openly, as time passes, be the fig lear for coal miners. within it are, particularly split producing two unions, both laying goods to the operators, after what has the Fishwicks, Lewises, etc.
in the light of the latest events, posstbtlclaim to the titlo, United Mine Workers of happened to his union, does not lead one At this very moment additional eviities to spread the terment and to do America, cannot be reached.
to believe that much rank and flle sug dence has been given to indicate that the away with this corrupt regime.
The old union now even more secureLort could be gained along that road. No: miners will continue in motion in a proThe new union is officially commit ly lodged in the grip of John Lewis, to avoid stagnation and early death it will gressive direction. number of Illinols ted to the aim of the six tour day, the with his arbitrary powers extended and be compelled at least to move in a forward local unions have already made decisions five day week and unemployment insurand a progressive direction. The rank his past reactionary wrecking policies gito reinstate all members expelled by the ance. These were adopted at the Springand flie, who have proved their fighting ven the seal of approval by a delegation Fishwick machine since 1928. These are field convention, the presence of the Fine largely representating locals and districts capacity in the past, will be rertain to the expelled militants who were with the wick machine elite notwithstanding. These long since defunct, at the Indianapolis press in that direction and there is no Save the Union movement.
two points, the shorter work day and so convention, as well known to the coalinbetter way at present to eliminate Fish How Far Will the Rebellion Reverberate?
cial insurance, were the two specife ers, As far as the rank and file memwick and all his henchmen of the old maUnquestionably, this open rebellion and points correctly emphasized in the Combership is concerned, the past history has chine. This forward course should be split, which brought about this new miners intern address to the American Party left Its marks. The cowardly retreat of aided and given definite meaning by the union, set a precedent dangerous to re membership last year as the Lewis administration in the face of Left wing.
practical de actionary machine control in other trade mands to be put forward in the daily the government injunction in the 1919 na Rather indicative of the trend of de unions. It is certain to produce reverber struggles of the workers. Their adoption tional strike and subsequent crushing of velopments, aside from the factors al ations within the of If nothing by the new miners union should serve to insurrectionary strike movements; the ready mentioned, is such an incident at elge, then at least the problem of facing make it a more favorable starting point sell out of the 1922 national strike, leaving the Springfield convention as the driving a new dual union with a considerable for further development toward a greater some 100, 000 Pennsylvania miners who of Fabwick from the chairmanship at the base among the workers. Indicative of militant basis. But this will require by.
had just joined the union in the lurch; firet session and the election of Howa: this already is the support thrown by stematic, correct Left wing activities and the betrayal of the Pennsylvania and Ohio for that post, and later on for the Presi. Green to John Lewis as against the devoted work.
minors and the defeat of their strike in dency of the union, This is solely be new union.
In conclusion is well to restate 1927 28. the breaking up and destruction cause Howat synabolizes to the miners The impotence of the present the position of Lent: of district after district with the suppres their militant struggle against the oper of officialdom, from the top down Undoubtedly, the leaders of opporsion of all opposition, expulsions and gun ators. On the other hand, the fact that practically speaking, and failure to se tunism will have recourse to all the man rule these are but a few high points the seating of Frank Farrington an cure even the slightest assistance for the tricks of bourgeois diplomacy, will apof Lewis regime. They are so commonly openly acknowledged agent of the Pea workers during this crisis, has been glar peal to the help of bourgeois goverz known that it cannot be expected that the body coal company, who had the crust to ing. Their absolute partnership with cap ments, to priests, police courts, in order com miners should now hark back to tell the delegates that ho accepted his italism is now laid even more open and to prevent Communists from entering support the remnants of his union or even 25 000 a year position in order to step bare. The assaults of the employers, who the trade unions, by all and every means have much sympathy left for It.
aside, secure wage cut for the mem take advantage of the crisis and perman. to put them out, to make their work in. most vital question therefore 18 bership and thus save the union. the ent and mase unemployment, as well as side these organizations as unpleasant what the new union signifies and what its fact that the acceptance of his credentials the prospect for coming, perhaps turbu as possible, to insult, hound and perseprospects are. Its leadership, apparent at could command guch a big majority vote lent, defensive struggles by the workers cute them. It is necessary to be able to the Springfield convention, can be recog clearly show the immense strength of the may also seriously shake the apparently withstand all this, to go the whole nized at a glance: combination of forces reactionary Fishwick Farrington Walker secure position of this trade union bur length of any sacrifice, 1f need be, to composed of a section of the old corrupt combine within the union. But even that eaucracy.
resort to strategy and adroitness, illeand reactionary officialdom the Fishwick relationship can be changed, and more In regard to the present status of gal proceedings, reticence and subterFarrington machine; socialist party types swiftly so, with a broadly organized Left coal miners, one must not fail to take into fuge, to anything in order to pentrate like Germer and Ameringer; and progres wing in this union giving the necessary account the several serious defeats suf into the trade unions, to remain in them sive, or one time progressive, elements, direction for the struggle: Or will any.
fered during the last few years, in which and carry on Communist work inside typified by Howat, Erophy and Hapgood. body perhaps maintain that Left wing official treason was no small factor. The them at any cost. Left Communism, Serious Errors of Wrong Analysis workers have no business within a union immediate effects of a serious economic page 36. The official Communist party disposed which has in its ranks the majority of the crisis and the extensive displacement of rather quickly of the significance of this organized soft coal miners in the United labor by machine and mechanical mining, new union and the perspectives for it. It States and has union control over their coming closely upon the heels of these was viewed merely as a matter of Peajobs?
defeats, will not tend to produce the swift body, the coal operator magnate, hiring Reactionaries Strengthen Hold But development of offensive battles by the some more help and already asserting his workers.
Workers Move On But on the other hand, these ownership of the union. That, of course, very problems, embodying continuous asis no analysis whatever, since it falls en At times, when workers are stirred saults upon their meager existence, beDisplacement of coal miners by matirely to recognize the workers set Into into action, one can always observe reac come bound up with active resistancechinery makes a new record in the stripping motion or take account of the objective tionary forces, labor lieutenants of capit with struggle. Under these conditions, position of the new union.
operations on the Northern Pacific Railroad Conclusions aligm, becoming active. They endeavor plus the quite solid phalanx presented by for a policy based upon such an analysis, properties at Coalstrip, Montana, The Scito follow the tide, try to get into a com the coal operators toward the workers entific American describes the new Bucycan lead only to further fatal mistakes, manding posftion and assume, if neces aims, the most thorough preparations and rus Erle coal loading shovel that lifts out to neglect of opportunities for extension sary, a progressive front, both to advance most complete organization possible bemore than eight tons at a time, dumps it of militancy, and to even further isolation their own personal interests and to serve come questions of serious import We into gondola cars skirting the pit and reof the Left wing directed by the Party. their masters at the opportune moment reserve this particular point for another turns for a new load all in 45 seconds. OpIt is upon just such samles that the by using their position to check the move time. But certainly it must be admitted erated by only two or three men it digs and Fiswicks and Walkery thrive and are ment, to lend it into harmless channels, that with three unions in the field, this loads 5, 000 tons in a 10 hour shift. with able still to maintain a hold upon the and to work for its complete annihilation, problem is, at best, yet more complex, the aid of a smaller loader a total of 20, 000 miners.
At present the wrecking career of John However, that fact merely serves tons are loaded in 24 hours, enough to fill series of tactical mistakes have Lewis has left him much discredited emphasize the continyous process of de300 of the 70 ton cars recently purchased been made by the Left wing under the in the eyes of the workers; but the Fish velopment and change in the social world.
by the company.
official Communist party direction, which wick machine is there to continue Lewis In this case it represents a new stage dirt gtripping macliine bites out 15 in sun and substanco has assumed the role. That has been sufficiently estab in a long struggle to reconstitute the mintons of enrth at a chunk, depositing it a cha. or of a system ct wens pollo Lisbed by its record in Illinois of wase ers organization on a national scale on a city block away at a height of 10 storles it ever since the formation of the National cuts and sell outs, expulsions of militants militant basis.
Micers Union. It culminated in the last and the use of gunmen, rolice and militia necessary all in one operation. The pick Left Wing Facing Serious Problems and shovel man is out of date here.
111 fato Illinois strike, and to a great ex against struggling miners. History has The National repeated itself, and this machine has been Miners Union remains Miners unemployment grows.
tent made it possible for Fishwick, Farrington and Walker to leave the sinking able to maintain itself in a commanding the only union resting programmatically ship of tho Lewis administration and to position within the present rebellious on a class foundation; but, as has often been emphasized, despite its objectively SIXTEEN COAL MIXERS DIE IN BLAST edge in on the crest of the naturally ma movement. The militants cannot comprofavorable position and the courage and KETTLU RIVER, Ky. Rescue workturing rebellion. Moreover, the Left wing mise a single one of their principles with became impotent and no positive factor this outfit. Against it the ceaseless strugdetermination displayed, the other two ers striving to save 16 coal miners trapped at all in these events.
by a gas explosion in the mine here, have gle must continue.
unions retain the membership of those miners who are at all organized and have found bodies of six. Tie other 10 are beWhat Does the New Unfon Signify? Concerning the so called progressives, union control over their jobs. Will the lieved dead from heat and gas which alled First of all, it should be remembered Brophy, Hapgood and the others who as Left wing and the Stalinized Party lead the shaft after the blast had crippled the that the new union came about as re yet, in the eyes of many miners, symbolize ership continue its olicy of trying to ventilating system. One vietim was 17 bellion against the worst features of the militancy against Lewis and the operators, withdraw the best elements from these years old and the others had wives and corrupt regime of John Lewis and there can be no illusions whatsoever. They unions where they have fob control, thus children.
threw into its foremost ranks, Howat, the are careerists who regard Communism as eliminate these elements from the indus Over 30 rescue workers, who believd one who to the miners symbolizes their weakened and compromised today; they do try and isolate itself from these impor the remaining bodies may not be found for traditional militancy. In that sense it not find it useful at present to cover them tant sections of organized workers; or several days are themselves in danger from cernsignities step in a Belves with sympathy for it. These Amer will it again take up the correct eninist the fumes.
Machines Displace More Miners A