Memories of Another Day (14 page)

''By who?"

''You'll find out," Andy said mysteriously. He began to walk again. "Besides, I think you're with us. I worked in the mines beside you, and once you work in the mines you never stop bein' a miner, no matter what else you do."

The rest of the walk to his home was made in silence. Shortly after they got there, the other men began to arrive. They glanced at Daniel but didn't say anything to him. Gradually Daniel drifted into the corner, where he leaned against the wall and smoked his cigar. There were more than a dozen men clustered together in small groups.

There was a sound of an approaching automobile. One of the men near the window looked out. He turned back to the room. "They're here!"

There was a general movement to the door. Andy opened it. Daniel could see the black Model T roll to a stop. The men spilled out onto the porch. Daniel didn't move.

A moment later Andy came into the house with a big, stocky man walking beside him. Daniel looked at the man with curiosity. He wasn't a tall man, but he looked big. Broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, with the beginning of a big belly, he had a shock of thick, unruly black hair that fell over bushy eyebrows and deep-set, penetrating blue eyes. He moved with an aura of importance and assurance through the men who clustered around him, shaking hands firmly and looking each of the men directly in the eyes. His teeth were amazingly small behind his thick, fleshy lips. They came over to Daniel.

"This is Daniel," Andy said as if that explained everything. The man reached for Daniel's hand. "John L. Lewis, the executive vice president of the United Mine Workers."

Mr. Lewis' hand was soft but amazingly strong. He looked at Daniel. "You're Jimmy Simpson's brother-in-law," he said. "Jimmy told me a great deal about you."

Daniel kept the surprise out of his voice. "You know Jimmy?"

Mr. Lewis nodded. "And your sister, Molly Ann. A fine girl. Jimmy's doing a fine job for us up Fitchville way. Let's all hope that we make the same kind of progress down here."

Before Daniel could answer, he turned and made his way to the front of the room. He wasted no time. He held up a hand, and the men fell silent.

"First of all, I have to correct Andy's introduction," he said. "My good friend keeps introducing me as executive vice president of the union. I thank him for the promotion, but that job still belongs to Frank Hayes."

A chorus of voices interrupted him. "Not for long, John." "You're our man."

Lewis smiled. He held up a hand, and they were silent again. "That's for the ftiture to decide. I have no ambitions; all I want now is to do a good job for you men. That's the reward I'm looking for. To see your jobs secure, your work made safe and your pay equal to the highest standards in the industry."

The men began to cheer. Lewis waited for their shouts to die down. After a moment, he began again. "As you know, the U.M.W. is already one of the largest unions in the country. As of the beginning of this year we have over a quarter of a million dues-paying members. That we are accepted by the government of the United States is evidenced by the fact that President Wilson appointed as the first Secretary of Labor one of our own U.M.W. leaders and founders, Mr. William B.Wallace."

Again the men cheered. This time Lewis overrode their cheers. "For the past year, I represented Sam Gompers as legislative assistant in Washington. This

year I returned to my old U.M.W. local in Indianapolis to once more deyote myself to the people I love, the miners. Two months ago, after much consideration, we decided that it was time for the U.M.W. to move into the last remaining nonunion section of the country. The West Virginia-Kentucky mining sector. I won't go into the history of why we have not come here before. A number of times we have tried to unionize, but we have always been defeated. It was not your fault. You men wanted the union. But the owners' corruption and terror tactics proved too much for us, so in order to protect your lives and health, we backed away. I do not plan to argue now whether our decision was right or wrong. It was made eight years ago, and perhaps it was right then in order to prevent bloodshed. But since that time, conditions have not improved; instead they have worsened. Today, you miners in this area are getting less for your labor than you were then, you are more in debt and you are working longer hours under more dangerous and hazardous conditions. And now that the Detroit automobile companies have put together a consortium of the twenty biggest mines in this area, it don't look to get better. It looks to get worse."

The men were silent. Lewis glanced around the room. ''Now it is time for decision. A few months from now may be too late. Once the consortium takes control, it may be too late. By then you will truly be in their power. By then we might not be able to help you.

'To meet this emergency, the executive board of the U.M.W. has created a new district local for this area. It will be known as District 100. We are pledging five thousand dollars for immediate organizing expenses, and the first thing you men have to do is go out and sign up every one of your brothers into the union. If you can do this before the mines are officially taken over, we'll be in a good bargaining position. Already men are at work all over the district. Now is the time for each of you to demonstrate his solidarity

with his brothers. Each of you here must become an organizer. Our success, your own success depends on your own individual efforts."

Now there were no cheers. The men were silent. They loojced at each other dubiously. It was one thing to join up; it was another to put themselves in the forefront of a battle which, if they lost it, would cost them their jobs and futures.

**Are you sure the mines are bein' taken over?" one ofthe men asked.

Lewis nodded. *'As sure as I'm standing here. We have information which leads us to believe that once it's done, the owners will launch the biggest campaign in history to bring down the union and further enslave the workers."

''We never had no trouble at this mine," another man said.

'Thirty-four men dead and over a hundred men permanently injured in the last two years in this mine and you say you don't have trouble? The worst safety record in the country, and all for the lowest pay scale in the industry, and you say you don't have trouble? If you don't consider that trouble, then I must say that you people don't know what trouble is. Is there a man among you who owns his own home, is there a man among you who does not owe his next month's wages to the stores for food and necessities, is there a man among you who if he should be injured and not able to work could continue to live in the house the company overcharges him for? Now to make it worse, when the mines are taken over you won't even get paid in United States dollars. They're gom' to turn back the clock an' pay you in company scrip. Then you'll see how much further into the hole the mining bosses will shove you. You'll be in so deep that you'll never get out, because the only way out will be the grave."

Lewis waited for a moment before he spoke again. "Your only hope is speed. To organize quickly before

the bosses become aware of what you're doing. Next week may be too late. Tomorrow each of you men must go out and sign up every one of his brother workers before word has a chance to get back. Because once it gets back, all hell will break loose. Your only chance is for all of us to be together in the union."

Lewis opened the briefcase he had brought with hhn and took out a document. "I have here in my hand the articles of incorporation and the constitution approved by the general council of U.M.W., organizing you in this mine as Local 77 of District 100. Andy Androjew-icz will be provisional president until you have a membership quota, at which time you will elect your own board and officers." He took out another sheaf of papers. "Here are membership applications. I expect every man in this room to sign one before he leaves and afterward to sign up every other miner he contacts. The executive board has waived application and membership fees for the first three months, which gives you a chance to benefit before you pay and will place no hardship on the members. You show us you want us here by signing up one hundred men and we'll send in an organizer from our own headquarters to help you. The rest is up to you. Support your brothers of the U.M.W. and your brothers will support you."

He gave the membership applications to Andy, who began to pass them out. He went through the room quickly, followed by his thirteen-year-old son, a worker in the breaker shed, who handed out pencils. Almost without a word the men began to fill out and sign the forms.

Daniel took the form that Andy gave him and looked at it. He didn't speak. Andy went to the front of the room and joined Mr. Lewis. He held up a hand. "If any of you men have any questions, Mr. Lewis will answer them."

Daniel was the only one who held up his hand. Mr. Lewis nodded. "Yes, Daniel?"

"Fm a clerk in the mine superintendent's office. I don't work in the mines. I don't know if it's proper fer me to sign this."

Lewis looked at Andy. Andy nodded. The big man turned back to Daniel. "You work for the mine?"

"Yes, sir."

"I don't see any problem. The same things can happen to you that can happen to any of them. You need the same job protection as the rest."

"Mebbe that's true, Mr. Lewis. But I'm privy to many things that concern the miners. I don' see how I kin rightly do an honest job fer Mr. Smathers an' at the same time be a member of the union when doin' my job fer Mr. Smathers might be the contrary of what the union wants."

Lewis was silent for a moment. "You pose a delicate problem in ethics," he said. "I'm afraid you have to decide on the basis of your own conscience what is right."

Daniel looked up at him. "I agree with what you said about workin' in the mines, but the on'y way I see I kin join up is if'n I quit my job in the office. I cain't serve two masters an' be honest with both, an' I won't be a spy an' a carrytale. My paw alius tol' me that a man's honor is all he got between hisself an' his fellowman."

"What you're saying, then, is that you won't sign the application?"

"That's right, sir. I don't honestly feel I could."

A low, angry murmur swept through the room. A few of the men moved threateningly toward Daniel. Lewis stopped them by holding up a hand. "Daniel!" he said sharply. "I respect your honesty. If you leave this meeting, do I have your word that nothing that transpired here will be told to management?"

Daniel met his scowling gaze. "I already said that I was no carrytale and no spy. If they hear anything, it won't be from me."

Lewis looked around the room. "I, for one, am will-

ing to take Daniel's word. I know his brother-in-law, Jimmy Simpson, up Fitchville way, who is now representing the textile workers there and is helping us to organize the mines. Jimmy says that Daniel is the straightest lad he ever met. I say we should permit Daniel to withdraw from this meeting and hope that the future will give us the opportunity to work and be together. Anybody second that?"

There was a moment's silence. Then Andy spoke up. 'TU second that, Mr. Lewis. It's my fault Daniel is here. When I spoke to him this afternoon he tol' me exactly what he said right now. I should have taken him at his word then. But I trust him. I worked side by side with Daniel in the mine, an' I know in his heart he's with us an' will do nothin' to hurt us. I say let him go.

The men looked at each other for a moment, then murmured a reluctant assent. Daniel put down the application blank on a table and slowly walked to the door. He could feel the weight of their eyes on his back. He closed the door behind him and through it could hear the sound of voices begin again. He went out toward the street. For a moment he shivered: the night had turned cold. He looked up at the sky. The moon was high. It was tiine o'clock.

He hesitated a moment, then began walking rapidly, his mind made up. If the lights were still on in Miss Andrews' house, he would explain to her why he hadn't shown up this evening.

the trap. They took the ten-percent raise the owners offered 'em without even figgerin' that changin' to scrip instead of money took it all back with interest. If the U,M.W.'s got more'n ten members left in the whole valley, I'd be surprised,"

Her voice was bitter. "I tol' you not to trust that man Lewis."

''It's not his fault. There's that ol' sayin'. 'You^can lead a horse to water, but you cain't make him drink,' "

''Dan'l was smarter'n all of you," she said. ''He stayed out of it."

He didn't answer, but she knew he had been deeply hurt when he heard that Daniel had not followed his lead.

"Oh, Jimmy. I'm scairt!" she said, running into his arms and placing her head against his chest. "We was so happy, an' you was doin' so good with yer bootleg-gin' an' all. Why did you have to go an' git yourse'f caught up in all this?"

He held her tightly. His voice was somber. "Comes a time when a man has to stop talkin' an' start doin'. These people—the farmers, the mill workers—they all my friends. I grew up with 'em. What was I goin' to do? Stan' by an' let Sam Fitch turn 'em all into slaves fer his own benefit?''

She began to cry. Softly he stroked her head. "Stop frettin'," he said. "It's not good fer a pregnant woman to carry on so."

She looked up into his face. "You'll be careful? I couldn't stand it if'n somethin' happened to you."

"I'll be careful," he promised. "I don' want nothin' to happen to me neither."

It was not yet daylight when he arrived at the store on Front Street that served as union headquarters. Several men were already there, waiting in the street for him. He took the keys from his pocket and opened

the front door. They followed him inside. It was damp and dark. Quickly they lit a few oil lamps. The electric company had refused to give them power. The flickering golden light shone on the picket signs and boards lining the walls. He walked behind the battered table that served as his desk and sat down.

"Okay, Roscoe," he said. ''You first. What's goin' on out at the new mill?"

Roscoe Craig shifted the wad of tobacco in his mouth. "They got about fifty Pinkertons out there an' maybe about a hundred scabs."