The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-06-28

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Strike IL Ever Lost-The Lesson
II Worth the Cost.
The st. Louis street car strike is still
on and will be, perhaps, for some time,
as the st. Louis Transit company have
positively refused to accept any PROPOSE
ton for arbitration whatever. Since
then the st. Louis Central Labor Union
has determined to fight the street car
company to the bitter end, and adopted
the following proposition for the cleo
ton of committee of 50 to form i'm
meulare organization and proceed to
raise fund Of at least
t1OO,O to carry on the strike
until 1t Is won, the fund to
be raised by an appeal to organized la
Dor throughout the world. by personal
appeals to every kind Of organized
bodies in st. Louis. and by such other
means as may be- deemed proper. clos
Ing with an appeal to the people Of st.
Louis to refrain from riding on the
Transit cars. and the organizations, So
cieties and associations Of every kind
in st. Louis. in sympathy with the
movement, to make the street railway
strike special order Of business at all
their meetings, and to appoint commit
tees to raise funds and continue to
maintain an ironclad boycott until the
victory is won.
Mr.. e. v. Debs was requested to come
to st. Louis, but on account Of illness.
was unable to do so. He, however, sent
a very strong letter. which sums up the
situation in q true light. The following
from his letter will not be without in
terest:
"The turbulence incident to the st.
Louis strike has caused the usual flow
of cap1talistic comment. OF course
they claim that the strikers are respons-
ible for all the trouble. 1t Is so easy fer
people who live out of the labor Of
others to talk about law and order. II
only they were compelled to run a street
car through crowded streets for nine
or ten weary hours, for paltry wage,
they would not wonder why honest and
peaceable men are driven to extremities,
in which fine points of law as to what
their conduct should be is simply a
mockery. AS a matter Of fact. they
are not striking for their rights, but
against tyranny and exploitation. and
as the struggle involves not only their
means of living, but their very lives and
the lives of their wives and babies. it
would be strange indeed, and far more
to their discredit, than acts Of violence
incident to a strike, If they did not ex-
ert all the means at their command to
prevent defeat and degradation.
1.-THE st. Louis strike is an important
battle in the great warfare for the liber-
alton OF the working class from the op-
preston and robbery of capitalism.
Whatever may be the outcome, 1t will be
a victory for labor, for no strike is ever
lost
II do not doubt that this strike has
opened the eyes Of the working class to
the power Of capitalism in such crisis.
All departments Of government are sub
jected to the orders Of the class which
owns the means Of production. Only
the capitalistic class can secure the is
suance of injunctions, call into action
the posse comitatus, swear in deputy
sheriffs, call out the militia, and COM
mand the federal troops to commit the
crowning acts Of despotism. The work
ing class have only to submit, or to be
either Jailed or shot down. But, surely,
such object lessons are not in vain. The
Transit company, in its blind cupidity,
is Fastening its own doom. Collective
ownership is the lesson taught. and the
demand for 1t will spring spontaneously
from such situation.
Il wish to tender my profound SYM
pathy to President Mahon in this try
ing hour. know him well, and there
is not q more able or more courageous
leader Of the working class. have
seen him tried and he has proven him.
self worthy OF the confidence and esteem