The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1894-07-21
What Superior Lest.

Under the above caption the Leader .
of Tuesday morning contained the fo,- /.
lowing editorial which So exactly cx-
presses our views, we give it place in .
our columns. Let every citizen and F.
especially every official paste it in his I.
hat and review it frequently. Capital |
will not employ itself in cities where |
the authorities from the highest 10 the |
lowest, claim that it has no rights which !
the common riDter is bound to respect. |
The article is as follows:
A leading citizen, in commenting on
and dcploring the fact that strikes and /.
lawIessncss had prevented the location
here of several large enterprises, as
noted in The Leader o; Sunday, called
attention to the failure of Superior to
secure the great Ward Harvester
works.
At one time it was thought that that
enormous industry had been cinchcd
but suddenly an entire new difficulty
arose and one which could not be sur
mounted. An agent Of the company
had been sent on some time before to
make, in secret, general investigation
and was here during the forty or fl "
strikes with which the history of Su-
perior has been marred.
He was amazed at the manner in
which the officials stood in with the pro-
motors of disorder and roit and at once
set about looking carefully into the en-
tire industrial career OF the city.
His report was such and the conduct
of the courts and other officials in re-
ference to the case he had Witnessed
was such that the company did not carry
negotiations any farther although adj
mitting that fuel, iron and raw material
were more accessible and the shipping
facilities better here than at any com
peting city.
TIE harvester works went to st. Paul.
where they expended nearly 100000
and where, in good times, they employ
$500 men.
The Canadian-American syndicate
and the Steel elevator company who
were driven away by mayor Woodward's
l EitCCll, NOutAi Ia I tA - I'm, ''p
at the very outset and employed from
! $50 to l 900 men.
! These three enterprises would sup
port a city of 5000 persons.
Bat their loss is not all: The Omaha
railway had completed preparations for
an extensive and costly dock, warehouse
/ yard and other improvements east of
! the Nemadji river and work was to be
rushed through this fall so the new
docks and Yards could be used at the
opening of navigation next year. Since
the great strike all the men have been
withdrawn and all the work abandoned
for how long no one can predict, but
President IIughett objects to doingany
thing further at least for year.
1t is indeed too bad that the working
men ofSuperior have been thus destroy
ing their own progress and prosperity
cutting off their own bread and butter
1t is worse that we have been afflicted
with public officials who encouraged
and even offered to protect them in this
self destruction and astonishing that
many leading business men and bust
ness houses have joined in and become
part OF the boycots criminaIly inaugu-
rated by strikers against those who have
opposed and denounced riotous, dis
orderly and destructive conduct.
In St Paul and Chicago the moment
the rioters bOycotted the leading news
papers the business men rushed for
ward with advertising, advance subcrip-
tions and new subscriptions to be sent
out of town.
Thus those papers were given not
only great moral support to aid them
i'll upholding the peace, order and pro-
perry of the cities but a large increase
in business which had a wholesome ef-
feet on the strikers and taught them
that piracy, destruction and unlawful
interference with the affairs of others
would not be tolerated.
But in Superior many business men,
lawyers and merchants side in and Join
in with those who derail passenger
trains, stone trainmen, assault Workmen
pull railway spikes, drive away saw
mills, elevators, loans and harvester
works and thus not only violate the laws
of the land but retard the growth Of the
city and ruin their own business.
once more The Leader appeals to the
workingmen of Superior to take a new
track-help build up instead Of destroy
business; help to bring in instead of
drive away new industries; help to at
tract instead of fri4htcn away capital.
1t must be that this is good advice.
fit is not, all human reason is at fault;
all laws are wrong; all courts are wicked
and all business principles are false and
perverted.
We have had in Superior between
twenty and thirty strikes among the
coal beavers, lumber showers, tourshcd
and other dock men, one or two result
ing in bIoodshed. We have had several
strikes in the sawmiiis; three or four in
the barge works-onc resuitiugin blood
shed and the last one completely SHUT
Ing down the Plant,-and a hall-dozcn
among street laborers; three or more
in the stone works; one or two on the
street railway; several among the ma
sons fathers, carpenters and building
trades; two or three at the steel plant,
one resulting in bloodshed two or more
amongst the walters; two amongst the
printers and compositors; several
amongst the PAYERS two or three a.
mongst the sewer and water trench dig
gers and probably several others no;
now recalled.
Once the governor was compelled to