The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-09-30
STRIKE VIOLENCE IS LESS.
NOT SO MANY ASSAULTS ON NON
UNION MEN
Leaders Have to Spend Their Efforts in
Checking Disaffectlon in Their own
Ranks-Effect of intimidation.

SAN FRANCISCO, September ia
noticeable feature of the strike situa-
ton is the marked diminution in the
number of cases of assault by strikers
upon non-union men. This is largely
attributable to the vigilance of the po-
lice, which has done much to discourage
the turbulent element. Some of the
employers find an additional eXplana-
ton of the decrease of violence in the
fact that the unions have been compell-
ed to turn their attention to the pro-
blem of holding their own men in line,
and have been less able, therefore, to
keep watch upon the non-uniun work
ingmen. Several of the union officials
have been busily occupied during the
last few days in checking disaffecton
among their followers and the persist
ent rumors of defections from their
ranks have absorbed the attention of
the strikers.
An employer who has been keen OBJ
server of the situation, and who has
kept himself in close touch with the
sentiment among the men, said yester-
day: mo one can doubt that a large
majority of the men who are now out
on strike would like to go back to work,
if they dared. 1t is impossible for the
labor leaders to keep up the pretense
much longer that they are going to win.
For weeks they have been telling their
followers that it was only necessary to
hold out for fOrty-eight hours more and
they would surely win. The time is past
when the men can be deceived by such
promises. They realize now that they
are no nearer victory than when the
strike began. Many of them have fam
lilies to support, and all of them, with
the exception of a small element that Is
lawless by instinct desire to return to
work. All that keeps them back is the
fear of violence. Coercion is now the
only card that the unions can play.
They must terrorize their own men to
keep them from abandoning the strike.
The results of this policy must be disas-
trous to the men in the end, for it natu-
rally arouses spirit of antagonism
among the employers that has not exist
ed hitherto. 1t is safe to say they have
no personal feeling against the union
men who have gone out on strike and
hitherto have been quite willing to take
them back whenever they wished to re-
turn to work. But the feeling will be
very different if policy of intimidation
and terrorism is to be adopted to keep
union men who want to abandon the
strike from returning to their jobs. The
men who are active in enforcing this
policy will not find it easy to get back
to their old positions. In my own case, l
have no enmity toward union men, and
| should prefer to take back all my old
employees, but if any of them become
active in this campaign of violence that
is threatened, | shall certainly be dis
posed to discriminate against them and
other employers will feel the same way.
There is abundant evidence that a
very large proportion of the union men
want to come back to work. Many of
them are working now on the docks
and elsewhere, where they are con-
cealed from the view of the union
pickets and where they can stay ali
the time. night and day without dan
ger of being attacked. l have some
union men who are working in that
way and others who were working
for me before the -trike have come to-
me and asked fol similar employment
where they would be shielded from
the observation of their comrades in
the unions. 1t was a grave mistake
when the unskillrd laborers, who make
up the greater part of strike since
the task of filling their places is COM
paratively easy. There is no such
difficulty as in the case of skilled
laborers who go on strike. OF course,
the teamsters. longshoremen, coal
beavers and others labOrer on the
front do their work better than green
hands but it does not take long to
break in new hands and then the only
thing necessary is to protect them
from violence at the hands of the
-
the water front plainly illustrates
this. 1t is rapidly approaching it's
normal activity and the new men we
have employed are becoming more
proficient every day"
The strike leaders continue to main
tain their demeanor of confidence and
still declare that they will win. An
drew Furuseth said yesterday: I'VE
are entirely satisfied with the situa-
ton, our men are standing pat and
there is no sign of wavering. The talk
about defections is all a lie The en-
ployers have been claiming that there
would be a break among the team
sters but that is all nonsense. There
will be no break in our ranks. Bust
ness on the water front is just as much
at q standstill as it was three weeks
ago. We have no expectations of an
immediate settlement and we are pre-
pared for a long fight"