The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-20
A SocialiStic View of the Solu.
ton of the Labor
Problem.
STRUGGLE AGAINST CAPITAL.
Morrison l. Swift Lectures on Strikes"
His Plan for a Final Labor
Struggle.

Morrison I. Swift delivered lecture last
evening in Alcazar Hall on "strikes" to
highly appreciative audience. Mr.. Swift's
discourse was graphic portrayal of labor
troubles and their frequent elimination
in strikes, and its dominant thought was
directed toward solution by means of
general national strike, TO accomplish
which the speaker presented an elaborate
scheme for workingmen to consider.
$50 much is, charged upon the foreign
laborer in this country" Mr.. Swift said,
THAT many chambers of commerce and
church members have invented the ornate
conclusion that the native workingman
would Ne as happy, sanity and tractable
as q DeIoved house dog if the foreign ad-
versary did not distress and stir him up.
But we cannot shed our sins upon for
eigners any longer. We are Just as great
sinners as there are upon earth, and the
large opportunities we had, with the good
Puritan principles OF love and equality
which we imbibed, convict US of being
low in the human scale. We are hypo-
critics beyond all ordinary and tolerable
hypocrisy. We have a religion OF love,
fairness and equality, and on pended
knees we declare before God that we be-
heve in it; but if any one seeks to carry
this religion out III society we put him in
jail or kill him.
THAT last lingering illusion that for
elgnerS are the basis of American indus
trial troubles is destined for the land of
fable. 1t is only the non-industrial classes
that need proof OF this, and for them there
can be no stronger proof than the nara
tive OF strike Of Americans, told by an
American"
This narrative was the synopsis of the
A 1hrn- Ctr 1F el,ro
The wages of stitchers were reduced 80 to
40 per cent IN August, 1898, and this pre-
clpltated the greatest struggle which has
ever occurred in the history of the shoe
trade. The strikers were nearly all Arme-
nlans-2550 Of them-and when the en-
ployerc found that they could not win they
sent TO Hudson, Massachusetts, for Amer
leans TO take the places OF the people who
had toiled Tor years and built up the city
OF Auburn. In the struggle the people
were prohibited from exercising such
rights as standing upon the streets, pub
fishing notices of the lockout, or speaking
to people who came in search of employ
ment. Besides, oppressive requirements
were demanded Of employees going back to
work. But out of the $3.50 people only $50
returned to the shops and 800 left the place
forever.
This and other strikes were quoted to
show that they fail almost without excep-
tLon, because the capitalists play
stronger game" The idea OF a general
strike" Mr.. Swift said, grows from the
realization that the partial strike is never
final and is often futile. Repeated failures
of strikes, in which the strikers were right,
have taught the workers that the strike is
a broken staff to lean upon
The speaker stated that while EMPLOYERS
unite against common enemy the work
men frltter away their strength fighting
one another. But defeat at last creates
working class loyalty and the sympathetic
strike makes its appearance. This he held
to be the hieh hest fruit of modern industrial
conditions. He went on to show that in
the struggle between labor and capital the
National or universal strike would be sue
cessful. With labor united throughout the
land, society would be powerless, the Gov
eminent helpless, the country paralyzed,
and in few days society would be COM
PEELED to decide once for all whether to do
justice 10 the working classes.