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THE MILITANT Published Twice VOL. VI, No. 18 (Whole No. 66 a Month by the Communist League of America (Opposition)
NEW YORK, APRIL 1, 1931 PRICE CENTS Illinois Mine Workers in Revolt What Has Happened in Illinois?
Rank and File Rebel Against Fishwick Lewis Agreement; New Union Call Issued MILITANS gone back into the Lewis organization after spending hundreds of thousands of the miners hard earned dollars. Howat has not told the miners of Illinois why Fishwick and Walker kept such Left wingers as MorBy JOSEPH ANGELO gan and Leech of Staunton, and Besson of Once again a scoundrel agreement has It has become the recognized IllinTayorville off the ballot at the last elec been made in the Illinois mine fields. The ois district administration. Lewis withSPRINGFIELD, ILL tion of the re organized miners union. The John Lewis and Fishwick Walker cliques, draws his provisional officers from the disThe compromise and the capitulation rank and file miners, especially the Left with all their big and petty officials, have trict and is recognized as the head of the between the Lewis and the Fishwick Walk wing, must insist that no doors be left open settled their little differences and agreed of that is, whatever is left of it.
er factions in the Miner Union is neither for Walker, Fishwick, etc. at the conven upon the place for each to take around the And then, an effort to prevent the ex.
surprising (see my article, Militant, Nov. tion called in St. Louis.
flesh pots.
pected wrath of the rank and Ale member 15, 1930) nor is it anything new in the af.
There is no doubt that the position of Significantly enough this agreement was ship to become crystallized in an actual fairs of the miners union. The compromise Oscar Ameringer in calling for a district reached. signed and sealed in a capitalist rebellion, the attorney in charge of this enriches the aresnal of the rank and file convention, as outlined in the last two is court. The Fishwick Walker combine is agreement, Londrigan, denounces any conand will unquestionally result in a strug(Continued on page 8)
divorced from the so called reorganized templated convention as an act of secesgle for the formation of a new miners sion and an open attempt to form a dual union.
organization.
Both the Lewis and Fishwick Walker The rank and file membersnip will now factions blame Judge Edward decision be expected to pay the enormous bills of a as the reason for the cessation of the sham court litigation between these two cliques warfare. Yet, the facts and action speak which began Oct. 1929. They will be exlouder than the lips of these self confessed pected to pay continued royalties to these labor fakers. It was the attorneys hired by mercinary officials who have been leaving the Lewis and Fishwick Walker factions behind them a trail of wreckage of a once that prepared a written decision in line splendid organization and of niiners homes with Judge Edwards pronouncements and forced down to the lowest point of dewhich the Judge signed. Judge Edwards gradation. The bills are expected to be was merely a puppet of the Lewis Fishwickpaid through the check off from miners Walker faction when he signed the lawyers wages collected by the operators. The latdecree which stipulated that the injunction ter are to get their share of the reward of of Fishwick Walker against Lewis be made the spoils to accrue from the agreement permanent. that Lewis union and conthrough increased profits derived ny further stitution is the only United Mine Workers lowering of the miserable conditions of the union.
that dist: dud must be miners.
paid to Walker and the international dues to Lewis, etc. Everybody knows that Pres.
Will maters pan out as these thieves contemplate? Hardly Discontent is now Green of the of was in Springfield seething. rank and file revolt movement at the time of the last trial and that both is on foot. Staunton has become the strongWalker and Lewis had conferences with him, from which resulted the decision that hold of the rebellious forces. Shortly after the Judge made. Again, immediately after the consummation of the agreement, 300 the oral decision made by the Judge in coal miners from several points in Illinois met in Staunton, denounced the agreement.
Springfield, both Lewis and Walker left for and decided upon the calling of a special Washington, DC. where undoubtedly toconvention. This to be held in St. Louis gether with Green the compromise was furon April 15. Clearly enough there can be ther perfected to be presented to the Chicago conference. The reason for blaming the no alternative for this movement to consider Judge who carried out their plans is to seriously except a complete break with the soothe the rising militancy of the rank and corrupt officials and their who e line of policy of treason.
file miners and then shove the Lewis Walker union down their throats.
One year ago, on March 10, a wide As soon as the rank and file miners Photograph of comrade Leon Trotsky at his work desk in Prinkipo, taken a short spread, healthy miners rebellion was frusheard about the compromise tetween the trated and harnessed into delusive chantime before the fire broke out which burned down his home, destroying his library and labor fakers, they went into motion rapidnels. The revolt was a healthy one in the many other valuable material.
ly. According to official report 6, 700 minsense that it strove already then for a ers slopped paying dues to Fishwick the complete break with John Lewis and first week of compromise. Since then, one the whole tradition of his corrupt adminilocal after another has stopped paying dues stration. It was, however, capitalized to both Lewis and Fischwick. Today, there by the Fishwick Walker Farrington comAuthoritative reports from Prinkipo con you can, books by Marx, Engels, Lenin and are hardly a dozen locals in Illinois that bine, who, with their whole string of rapacfirm in all their essentials the dispatches Trotsky written in Russian, German, French are sending dues to either Lewis or Fishious petty officials, succeeded in turning of recent late in the pitalist press con or English, or books subjects related wick. Not only does the rising revolt of this movement into one for personal spoils.
the miners express itself against the labor cerning the fire which destroyed the home their work (History, economics, sociology, To make such complete diversion of a healfakers in the stoppage of dues, but against of comrade Trotsky in his island exile. By etc. to the headquarters of the Communist thy rebellious movement possible this comthe coal operators as well.
League of America, at 84 East 10th Street, The picketing of rare good fortune, the manuscript of the bine cleverly utilized the progressive mines, fighting for a division of work and history of the Russian revolution which he so that they may be forwarded immediately front of Howat, Brophy, Hapgood and burning of railroad bridges near the mines is completing, an invaluable file of corre to comrade Trotsky in Turkey. 2) send all others. Howat, despite his long experience in West Frankfort and the three thousand spondence with Lenin, and a number of the money you can afford for an internawith the corrupt officialdom of the other documents were rescued from the tional fund which is being collected for the mine pickets three mines that tried of allied himself with these old to lower the wages in Belleville show that flames. But the entire library of comrade same purpose. All moneys will be strictly hands at the game of treason. Previously the miners have lost hope, as far the official Trotsky was destroyed, not to speak of many accounted for, and sent immediately to the he had been an ally of the Communists other personal effects.
International Secretariat in Paris. Make fakers are concerned, to settle their grierand genuine Left wing forces but the weakall checks and money orders payable to The ances. Therefore, the rank and file miners The exact cause of the conflagration has ened condition reached by the latter through Militant, 84 Eest 10th Street, New York, are attempting to settle their grievances not yet been established. Whether was a continuous blunder policy made possible themselves. The compromise has aroused accidential, or due to the dastardly efforts the backsliding of Iowat. He no longer tremendous anger among the rank and file of a Stalinist hireling and the whole past We urge all our friends and supporters needed any such alliances. The result which will express itself in inany local of Stalin persecution of the Opposition to act upon this matter immediately. The of this period since the beginning of the strikes for better conditions and against in general and Trotsky in particular makes need is great. The response must be equal rebellion a year ago, in which Howat played any wage cuts in Illinois.
the latter alternative not at all inconceiv to it. Help restore the library of the gifted such a miserable role, are now epitomized Immediately after the compromise was able is not yet known. But in any case, leader of the International Left Opposition, in the sell out agreement. It becomes a made the adherents of the Howat faction the destruction of his library has placed Leon Trotsky.
powerful object lesson of what the road.
who were left in the cold to shift for themthe greatest handicaps upon comrade Trotof reformism actually leads to.
selves, together with the Muste group called sky and his work as the leader of the InAlexander Howat, who was eased out a conference St. Louis for the purpose ternational Left Opposition (Bolshevikof his office by the Lewis Fishwick Walker of organizing a new international union.
Leninists. Laboring under the difficulties agreement, has now with the other Muste It was decided to call the convention in of his Turkish exile imposed upon him type of leaders. become one of the acSt. Louis on April 15th. It calls upon the by the united front of Stalin, Kemal Pasha tive sponsors of the present rebellion. rank and file to organize a militant rank and the rulers of democratic Europe warning must be issued against this type and file union, stresses the organization of has been an enormous hindrance in the of leaders the whole existthe unorganized and doing away with Lewis recent past. The fire has multiplied the April 4: THE CRISIS IN THE NEEDLE ence of the socalled reorganized bossism, yet it is a weak kneed document difficulties a hundred fold.
TRADES of failed to fight the contemplated trea typical of the Muste Howat group.
It The assistance of every revolutionist, By James Cannon son of the Fishwick Walker administration.
does not even openly attack its erstwhile in every part of the world, is imperatively at the Thus they played the game of stalking friends the Walkers, Fishwicks, etc. needed now to overcome these difficulties as LABOR TEMPLE horses for the reactionaries, being in the The position Howat is far from sat much as possible. The International Sec14th Street and Second Avenue Fishwick camp one day only to return isfactory to any Left winger. Since the retariat of the Left Opposition has launched Open at P.
the camp of other reactionaries a while agreement between Lewis and Walker, How an appeal to all militants to help restore Admission: 25c later. The miners will win out if they at has not uttered one syllable openly the library of comrade Trotsky. This can Auspices. New York branch, Communist rely on their own class strength.
against either Walker or Fishwick who have be done in two ways. 1) send ll the books League of America (Opposition. Continued on page 4)
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