Song & Band

"And now I ask that you remove your carcasses without the door." John Llewellyn Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers, said that at a convention years ago. He was maledicting radicals, William Z. Foster in particular. Typically of the U. S. labor movement, great-faced Mr. Lewis can talk better against radicals than he can for or against anything else. Since Bolshevism first entered the limited vocabulary of the average citizens (circa 1919), there has never been a convention of organized labor in which it was not denounced. Better that a U. S. labor leader should have his face covered with mud than that "Bolshevist" should be tagged on to his coattail.

Early last week a labor leader, John Brophy, came, one of more than 1,000 delegates, to Indianapolis, headquarters of the U. M. W. He is not a Communist. It is even doubtful whether he could be ranked as a Socialist. But he is the perpetual opposition candidate for President of the U. M. W. against Mr. Lewis. And hanging metaphorically to his coattail was one Powers Hapgood, nephew of Norman Hapgood, onetime Hearstling. Powers Hapgood graduated from Harvard in 1921* and is a Socialist. He may be a Communist. In a hotel lobby some Lewis men hit him with clenched fists. He hit some Lewis men, and was despatched to a police court.

Next day, the convention opened. Mr. Lewis flayed the radicals. Casting an eye at Mr. Brophy, whom he had easily defeated for President, he said: "I could tell of slimy things." Radicals cowered. They continued to cower until, two days later, Radical Hapgood rose to criticize. Mr. Lewis pounded the desk, eyes flashing. He smelled a fight. "If you say another word," said he, "you'll have to be ejected" (on the grounds that he was not entitled to a seat). The young man hit a sergeant-at-arms on the left shoulder, but no one came to his rescue. At the desk Mr. Lewis sagged. There was to be no fight. ... So the U. M. W. constitutionally soothed themselves by voting to expell from membership all Communists.

Mr. Lewis' next fight is likely to begin on April 1, when a strike of the unionized bituminous coal miners will almost certainly be called. Preparation for this was the business of the convention. The International Executive Board was empowered to increase the dues as it sees fit. Mr. Lewis' own salary was quietly raised from $8,000 to $12,000 per annum. He was cheered when he heaped contempt upon the "miserable coal camps of West Virginia" (nonunionized) and said that union miners would never let their standard be determined by "the hungriest unfortunates whom the non-union operators can employ." To signalize the U. M. W.'s proud defense of their present $7.50 minimum for six hours work, one Gus Smith would intermittently break into song, and the U. M. W. band of Monongahela, W. Va., led by one B. V. Bork, would trumpet the chorus, while galleries echoed the words:

"We'll say with John L. Lewis:

We'll never take a backward step!"

*In their class directory, thumb-marks of Harvard 1921-ers may be found upon the name of Thomas S. Lament, son of famed Morgan Partner Lament, upon the name of a Cabot, a Frothingham, a Lee, a Lothrop, a Lowell, a Sedgwick. They do not all know one another. But all know Powers Hapgood. He is their only coal miner. He prepared for Harvard at Andover, where Yale is the most popular college.