ILLINOIS MINERS Millinery Workers Need Real United Front Are Walker and Lewis Howat and the Rank and Walkers, Lewises and others tout gu alus with them where they rightfully belong.
Going to Unite?
File Movement In this whole gigantic struggle, where is the Stalinist Communist Party leaderSPRINGFIELD By JOSEPH ANGELO the progresive miners in both the Lewis ship? After all their glittering schemes, Besides injunctions and more injunctions, and Fishwick union and carrying on educa.
grand programs without ways and meang court room battles, street bouts, gun duels, guards, deputies and State Police. There for their accomplishment and wild plunges slugging one tional work in both of the unions. Walker another and local strikes one faction is trying to prevent the other into ill considered efforts, the third peramong the Illinois miners, the most strik faction from working. In Danville a simi and Fishwick have already declared this iod chiefs enthusiastically greeted the ing development is the various maneuvers lar situation prevails. Are the miners a dual movement. These bodies are a miners by their absence. To day, there is of John Walker, the secretary treasurer of really doing this because they think that healthy sign and they can be looked upon not a single Party unit functioning and the re organized Miners Union. Like all one faction is better than another? Not to play a big role in the future affairs of Diogenes would need to look with powerself seeking labor fakers, but more notor exactly. It is true that there are several the Miners Union. They have already an ful microscope to find an active Stalinist.
lously, Walker is dabbling and kowtowing local leaders that are bought and bribed important power, which is increasing right It is due to the program and sober with the most anti union element of Illin by the one or the other faction and these along. These rank and file movements are tactics of the Left Opposition that there ois. Whether it is an American Legion banfunkeys are doing the bidding of their the cause of Walker and Lewis losing is an awakening among the militant miners quet, a Chamber of Commerce meeting, pay masters. The rank and file miners sleep and holding secret unity conferences. and a realization of the need for careful Rotary Club dinner or some boss political see no hope in either faction and at the Will history repeat itself and Lewis and and substantial organizing of the Left wing rally Walker is always conspicious with present time they are supporting the less Walker unite as Lewis and Farrington did in both of the Lewis and Fishwick anions his two large feet telling them what a er of the two evils and wait for the op several years ago? The rank and file has and cutting a direct road past both offisgreat labor leader he is and how he has portune moment to rid themselves of both other plans plans which will put the cialdoms.
sacrificed and sacrificed and sacrificed for evils.
the Miners Union. The Miners call him In the meantime the coal operators Weeping Jack. But there is a reason are reaping the harvest. Speed ups, loadbehind all of Walker weeping, Walker ing machines, wages cuts and worsening has played the labor politician game ail of conditions are the order of the day.
Continued from page their contract with the bulk of the Left his life and he still hopes to become a In the Taylorville district, the Peabody Aghting within the existing union!
wing movement. The work of Left wing national figure.
mines are being guarded day and night The representatives of the broad Left blockers in Local 42 amply illustrates that It is only a few days ago that John by a hord of company gunmen, machine wing group were once more compelled to real work can be carried on in spite of Walker issued a statement to the American gun are being brought to the mine property speak. For hours they again argued against Party muddling.
Federation of Labor convention at Boston, and each miner is carefully scrutinized as the false analysis and conclusions of the The urgent need now is that, on the which read in part as follows: he comes to work every day. That is, Indutrial Union leaders on the subject of basis of these experiences, there should be We will be glad to have the American every day the mine works, which is very the socalled company unions. But all crytallized a broad Left wing movement, Federation of Labor take any action that few. There is no strike here, all belong to no avail. The Party decision had al including all the militants in the industry has for its purpose the bringing about a to one faction. The coal operators here ready been made. phoney resolution more are preparing wage cuts, because for a struggle against the union bureauconference of the officials of both organf.
was presented by the Party spokesman, cracy, their capitalist masters, their class zations to arrange for calling of a conventhey think that they can use one faction and before any discussion could be had, collaboration practises and theories, and against the other when the time comes.
tion. My emphasis. it was jammed through with the aid of Can Walker and Lewis unite the divfor a class struggle policy and the unithe Party Had the miners who are footing up packing. The resolution fication of all the milllnery workers. The ision in camp by any of their methode? called for a committee to determine (after the bills for the injunctions, lawyers and immensity of the task demands bold and The struggle has gone too far and the the weeks of discussion and work. the court costs anything to say about this determined action. ROSE.
wounds too deep and now the whole strug nature of our work. The Left wing millstatement? Is there any provision in the gle has simmered down to fight against tants, not under Party discipline, refused statement to have rank and fille repreboth officialdoms and only the rank and to participate in this burlesque of a united New Seamen «International. sentented at the conference? Not at all.
Ale movement can heal the wounds and front, and one by one declined memberEverything is to be done by the officials of unite the union.
ship on the committee. Thirteen Party and HAMBURGboth organizations who have been hiring members were chosen, and thus ended There has just been held here a supThe Position of Howat gunmen, fists and throwing verbal dynathe united front which is now being so posed International Seamen and Dockers mite at each other for the last two years.
What is the position of Alex Howat in widely advertised. No social fascists, Conference, and we are told that delegates The Bureaucrats Unite regards to the present struggle? The Fish Lovestoneities, Trotskyites, or other non present represented nearly half a million But Walker statement is not the first wick Walkers and the remnants of Farr kosher elements are to contaminate the workers. After a lot of revolutionary talk time that this unity proposition sprouted ington are in complete control of the re committee.
it was decided to set up a revolutionary out. During the recent Illinois Federation of organized Miners Union at the present Party Arbitrariness international of seamen and dockers.
Labor convention at Springfield, there were time. Due to the international constituNow we will all agree that such an inseveral locals of the re organized Miners tion adopted at the Springfield convention The whole situation spoke loudly of Union that sent delegates. When the questernational is wanted, but any one in close the whole power of the international exthe fact that there is enormous vitality for the Left wing movement, and opportouch with the above conference will have tion of seating these delegates came on the ecutive board lies in the hand of the diearrived at only one conclusion, and that is, floor of the convention, Secretary Olander trict presidents. That is, the district presitunities for real work. The Left wing made the following announcement: We workers in the main, understand the need a real international of seamen and dockdents have one vote for each two thoucame to an agreement with all parties iners can ony be brought about by a confersands members. Thus, altho Fishwiek is of working unitedly with the whole Lefu volved not to seat the delegates from the ence of representatives from bona fide seadistrict president and Howat international wing movement and with the Party. They men and dockers organizations and not re organized locals of the Miners Union.
president, Fishwick has twenty votes, to made every effort to work together so that We have done it so as not to create any bad by a meeting of a few paid functionaries Howat one. Howat still has the respect prestige and strength would accrue to the feelings among those concerned. Because Left wing and Communist movement. It of the Communist Party, seamen clubs and confidence of the rank and file. The and dockers group.
we hope to have both factions back with mass meetings of Howat are attended by was they who approached the Party, and At the above conference it was claimed us in the near future. This was accepted thousands of miners. At these meetings sought united action. All the Party saw that representatives were present from by the delegates and even such dead Howat has urged the necessity of miltant in this was a chance to put something Germany, Britain, France, China, warriors like John Hindmarsh who was a over.
policies, the election of rank and file offiSouth America, etc. etc. One seemed to delegate from the re organized union did dials, the reinstatment of all those ox The views of these militants, with years find it difficult, however, to discover what not make a protest. Walker still had sup pelled, unemployment insurance and of experience in Left wing struggles, many organizations they represented. Why all port in the Illinois Federation of Labor Labor Party of them former members of the this mystery when five hundred thousand convention after the unseating of the minmen with standing among the workers, At the Mt. Olive memorial meeting on workers were represented, don know.
ers delegates and if he were sincere in exwere coolly disregarded by the Party October 11th, Howat replied to the unity The star turn at the conference was posing John Lewis, this would have leaders, who thought to rope them in, compromise of Walker by saying, The the notorious George Hardy, who long been a good time and place to do it. But, so to speak, by the cheap method of getre organized Miners Union is more deterago became a back number in the States.
no, this could not be done or as Olander ting a mechanical majority in a packed mined than We next hear of him as a big noise in the ever to continue its fight said, there had been an agreement meeting. The weeks of hard work merely reached.
against Lewis and his organization. The Minority Movement in Britain, but he ultidemonstrated that the Party leaders will Lewis wing is a company union and a tool mately suffered the same fate there. DurWalker reads the handwriting on the not yield from their untenable position, no of the coal operators. If the coal operators ing the 1925 seamen strike, Hardy tried wall. And that is why he is so active at matter what the requirements of the situa to call it off in London while the samen asked Lewis for anything, they usually got the present time. He is playing a triple tion may be. Either our line, or nothing.
it. Instead of begging from the bosses, were still on strike in Australia. And it game. First, in case the miners put the Nevertheless, it would be a big mis.
the miners must organize a strong militant a good job for George, but a bad job for boot to him, he will readlly find a soft union. And in reply to one of Fihwick take to stop the work begun by these the movement, that the seaman didn get spot to land in the camp of the bosses.
militants, which attorneys that spoke at the meeting who was temporarily side hold of him, otherwise they would have Second, trying in spite of everything, to told of what great suffering and sacrifices tracked by Party tactics. The position dumped him in the dock.
become the outstanding miners leader and that Walker, Fishwick and Nesbit went they took at the beginning remains sound: Another interesting chapter in Hardy an angel of peace with the hope of bethru, Howat said, that it was not the ofWork in the existing unions, collaborate history is his connection with the general coming international president in place of ficials that did the suffering and sacrificing.
with the organized Left wing, for unity of strike in England. During the whole perLewis and Howat at the fakers unity conThey were well paid for what they did.
all the militants. The attempts by cer iod of this strike, although he was the orvention. Third, he is running for the Ebat it was the rank and file that did all tain Lovestoneite elements to find an easy ganizing secretary of the Minority Movepresidency of Illinois district, for which the suffering and sacrificing and paying.
road for this movement by cutting it away ment, George couldn be found. He was he not only has his flunkies busy working The coming few months will again test from the official Left wing, have met with probably too busy fraternizing with Messrs.
trying to capture the majority of the nom Howat. The crack in the policies will eihealthy and justified resistance from these Purcell, Swales and Co. in the Anglo Rusinations to get at the head of the ballot, ther widen or close. Howat will either militants who will not fight against the sian Unity Committee. Ed. but also has the support of the Peabody have to support the policy of the rank and Communist movement but will help to re It was following this episode that Coal Co. mine guards: As for instance, file in deeds and not words, or the present dress its line and the line of the Left Hardy was given the order of the boot.
in the Taylorville district where a Peabody officialdom. Howat must choose: either wing.
He now turns up here in Hamburg as the mine guard walked into the local union the Left wing miners and an open, clear These workers are not taken in by president of the seamen and Dockers Inmeeting, put his gun on the table and told fight on their side; or drifting along at the the simplified Party theory of company ternational. As delegates were present at the members to nominate Walker for distail end of the Fishwick kite, and serving unions, which breeds passivity, sectarianthis conference from the it would trict president to cover up the faults of the new union ism and defeatism. They are for a Left be interesting to learn what seamen and In the Miners Rank and File reactionary leadership. But regardless of wing policy that will win the workers.
dockers organization they represented and Will the rank and file miners agree to where Howat chooses to go, the Left wing Organize the Leit Wing!
what voting power they carried numerically.
RED SEAMAN.
unity with the two sets of labor fakers must rely on the miner ranks.
The alternatives are not limited to eior have John Walker for president of the In this whole struggle there is one ther subjugation to the Party false line, If the number on your wrapper 18 re organized Miners Union. The answer hopeful spark and that is the development or no Left wing work at all. The Comlies in which way the rank and file is of the rank and file educational bodies. munist movement can and does transcend moving and the situation on the Illinois The first educational body was formed at the stifling bounds of the Stalinist bureaumining fields.
Staunton. Since then it has spread to cracy and Left wing militants can organize then your subscription to the Militant has In the Duquoin district the miners are Herrin, Pana and Springfield. They have their work, and fight, without this bureau expired. Renew immediately in order to working under the protection of mine adopted a broad militant policy, uniting cracy if needs be, so long as they retain avoid missing any issues.
THE MILITANT Vol. III. No. 33, Nov. 15, 1930. Published twice monthly by the Communist League of America (Opposition) at25 Third Avenue, New York, Sub scription rate: 00 per year; foreign 50. Five cent per copy. Bundle rates cents per copy. Editorial Board: Martin Abern, James Cannon Max Shachtman, Maur Ice Spectar, Arne Swabeck. Entered as se cond class mail matter, November 28 1928 at the Post Office at New York, under the act of March 3, 1876 (Total No. 58)
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