The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-05-20
TIE Appleton Post offers some crit

he hpPl0tOu Obt OuCAo coLnO WAN
cisms on the course of The Pilot in ''put-
ting in defense" for the Polish rioters
of Milwaukee. The criticism is candid,
temperate and offered because it is
thought to be deserved. The Post is
right in divining that the sympathy of
The Pilot is apt to be with the ''under
dog in the fight" but not so much be-
cause of his misfortune in the fight, as
that he is apt to be misrepresented and
kicked by the iooksrs-on.
To answer the objections of The Post
seriatins.
o. Human ife is too precious to be
sacrificed lightly, and the justification
should be such as to leave no room for
questioning the necessity of the act. 1t
is very dangerous idea to impress upon
holiday soldiers that it is their duty to
kill. That offense which justifies the
taking of human life must be very
serious one and it is much safer to i'm :
press this fact upon a lot of irresponsible
boys in uniform, than the contrary one
that because they are soldiers they must
kill on little or no provocation. A few
prods of the bayonet would have dispers-
ed that crowd, without the loss of lie.
Possibly few of the "boys' might be
struck by brick-bats. But even this is
far better than that death should enter
the house of some poor man, even though
he be Polack, and leave a dependent
family helpless. The mob were not social
lists or anarchists, but laborers led astray
by false leaders, and unduly excited
Surely We do not want to revive the
bloody laws of Draco and kill for every
offense. The militia acted more intemper-
ately than the mob did. The shooting
was not only unjustifable, but barbarous
and cowardly.
o. There is no disposition to do
justice to any Polack now. Alderman
Rudzyinski has put in pretty good de-
Tense on the charges made against him.
1t is just as well not to condemn him I'M
hoard, The Milwaukee Journal while
not defending the Polacks, insists that
they be treated justly and says that of
the % persons arrested for melting to
riot, 20 are Germans and 3 Polacks. But
Rudzyiuski is made the target Of denun-
citation simply because he is Polack
and numerically the Polacks are not dan
gerous. Grottkau and Hirth do not come
in for 1.-THE of the denunciation, be
cause they are Germans, and it is not
safe to kick the German. He has a
habit of kicking back.
90 The Post errs in attributing to
The Pilot any endorsement of strikes.
They are an evil and are followed by evil
consequences to all. What The Pilot
insists upon is that the laborer should
feel when he is wronged that he can safe
ly appeal to the laws of the land. The
cause of strikes should be removed. The
laborer should be treated as sentient
being having hopes and aspirations; not
as a machine to be used solely as the
interests of his employer may dictate.
Laws should not be framed or courts
organized so as to discriminate against
him and in favor of his employer. We
look to the immediate canse of the strike
and denounce the hbo,er, when back of
the exciting cause is the real one which
| duplicates the employer. The laborer' s
act is overt and in contravention of law.
The employer is always on the side of
law though morally he is more culpable
| than the striker. The striker employs
the means most readily suggested though
| often harmful, He is ignorant of other
| means; who is to blame?
a. Again The Post errs in charging
The Pilot with experimenting the course
pursued by Gov. Rusk. On the con
trary he was commended for his prompt
| ness. His Intervention would be wholly
unnecessary if Milwaukee had elected a
| mayor with reference to her real interests
| and not to his accomplishments az a lin
guist. The soldering over the killing
of few Polacks whom it was as easy to
slaughter as if they were flock of sheep,
is what produced nausea and a remon-
STRANGE against the exhibition.