St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-05-14
The Strike at Center Rutland.
[From the Burlington News

| lfTOIn the burlington NEWS
Some of the extreme Mccullough or
gans which are more deeply interested in
scoring a political point than in the in
dustrial peace and prosperity of the state
| have fairly gloated over the fact that
| there was a small strike in one OF the
shops of the Vermont Marble Company
Some of these papers think it is curious
| political fact that a strike should have
occurred at just this time. 1t certainly
is. During the nineteen years that Sena-
tor Proctor managed the business and
| the thirteen years that Fletcher Proctor
has managed it, in a period OF thirty-two
years, there has never been any difficulty
OF this character. Now because Fletcher
Proctor has permitted himself to become
| a candidate tor governor at the wrong
time" as some of the bosses think the
use of any kind OF weapon to attack and
discredlt him is considered by some
people entirely proper Yes, 1t is a
curious political fact that such drttl-
Guilty should occur at this time, and it is
also curious with what avidity certain
Mccullough organs in distant parts Of
magnify the incident, and with what sat
isfaction they dwell upon it. The same
sinister interests which sought to profit
by the affair undoubtedly contributed in
their own peculiar way to bring it about.
The plain facts of the case are that the
whole difficulty was regarding an Incl
dental matter. The men did not leave
the shop as has been claimed upon any
demand for a general increase of wages.
The whole number that went out never
equaled one-twentieth Of the company's
employees, and upon reflection they OF
their own accord voluntarily returned
to their work upon exactly the terms and
conditions in every respect existing when
thew left it.
The HardwiCk Gazette and Essex Juno.
ton Syndicate papers with this incident
for a text are trying to arraign the work
ing men of the state against Mr.. Proctor
politically, but such an appeal, and
especially such a pretext tor it, will not
commend itself to right-thnking pt ope
In this appeal Mr.. ProCtor's political
opponents have the assistance of the
Worker" the New York organ OF the
Socialists, which in its issue of May list
says:
ut is to be hoped that the marble workers
and other workingmen of Vermont will
strike at the ballot box against Proctor and
his class and the system which allows them
to live in luxury without doing any useful
work. Social SIN would mean the owner.
ship of the qIarries and mills by the people
who do the work and would give the prod.
uct of labor to the laborers."
Although the advertised price of the
"Worker' is two cents per copy, by
some curious coincidence it was sold on
the streets o! Rutland by special news
boys on the evening OF April 80 at one
cent per copy. Who paid the difference
in order to distribute freely this 50.
cialstic demand Will the Mccullough
organs that have exploited the affair
answer?
Another, and more serious question
Are the people of Vermont prepared to
endorse this socialistic propaganda In
their attempt to get blow at Mr.
Proctor these organs of Gen. Mccullough
Lave fired too big charge aud the gun
has kicked. Socialism has never before
been an issue in Vermont politics. 1t
looks as though an effort was being
made to bring it up his year. When the
robbery OF the property holder of this
state becomes political question the
sturdy Vermont farmers will not take
long to settle it so it Will not rise again