The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-20
leaders to intervene to prevent a useless

nalI OF the strike, delivered instead al
| academic discourse on the Future OF HI-
| man Labor" Interviewed by the CORE
| spondent Of a Neopolitan newspaper. ne
deprecated d general strike at the moment
when Rome was crowded with visitors.
| gathered there for the Easter ceremonies,
| for the great historical and other con-
crosses; but made no attempt to prevent
IL At first the typOgraphers hesitated
| TO obey the call-the Labor Bureau espe-
| cially the Republican members of the ex-
| ecutive) was against it; gut it was evil
dent that the working classes themselves
| had decided TO come out as soon as the
| employers Of labor decided on making
| common cause with the heads of the
| printing houses. First, the stonemasons
| on the Victor Emanuel monument aban-
doned their work; and the contractor,
without taking on other hands, gave no.
| tice that the works would De closed I'M
| til further notice. Then followed the
metal workers, glassworkers. BARRIERS,
| cigarmakers, bakers butchers. news
paper vendors, bricklayers, house paint
ers. plasterers, carpenters, etc, and 1000
men belonging to the printing and the
paper trades The cab, coach, and tram
Pawhuska. O. T, May 1S-It has been
| drivers struck also, thus causing consid-
cradle inconvenience 10 the citizens and
foreigners in what. for Italy. is city Of
distances" The municipal employees.
forewarned. were fore-armed, so that the
gas and electric illumination was not in
terfered with. The hoteI, restaurant. and
inn servants were left IN peace. so that
the convenience Of visitors was less in
fringed than in last years strike in Flor
ence; but these left Rome in thousands.
the hotel omnibuses serving TO convey
them TO the station, 50 that the loss in
ficted on the hotels. apartments, and
pensions was considerable, to say moth
ing of the provision dealers, guides and
all the breadwinners whose chief source
OF gain is these very visitors With the
exception OF prohibiting mass meetings
in public buildings and in the Open"
the authorities remained neutral, calling
some 2o.o0O troops of all arms into Rome
for the protection Of the Vatican. of the
obnoxious printing establishments, and OF
the krumiri. The municipal authorities.
with praiseworthy prompness. provided
bread and meat for all from Naples and
F1o-ence-so amply. indeed. that. when
the general strike ceased, ninety quin-
tails Of bread and some 5000 worth of pro-
visions weer distributed among the poor.
many of whom were the more or less
voluntary strikers themselves, and among
the charitable establishments.
The Labor Bureau, whose executive
had, as we have seen, disapproved Of but
made no attempt to prevent the strike.
summoned few friends in council-Ferri,
Lollini. other Socialists and Deputies
and it was decided that, the demonstra-
ton Of solidarity having been made. the
strike must cease. The executive sum
moned the leaders of the separate trades,
thanked them for their "genrous mani
festation of loyalty to their working COM
rades in misfortune and eXhorted them
TO return to their usual vacations. which
probably after enjoying their brief Roman
holiday, they did with the utmost alac-
rity. No notice was taken Of their alb
sence by their employers, who had not
had time to take on new hands Giolitti,
Minister of the Interior, was congratu-
lated on his precautions for the proven
ton of disorder and the avoidance Of
bloodshed, by the King himself, and by
all but the employers Of the typograpsi-
cal strikers, who meanwhile remained
in the same condition as before the gen
eral strike-even worse off, as the en-
ployers. encouraged by the pledges of the
other Industrial and commercial capital
lists. became more resolute in refusing to
treat with the federation as such. The
newspapers, which had been suspended
during the strike. mostly counselled sub
mission The Revolutionary Socialists
still kept silence. but the men were so
exasperated that. when called upon by
the chief mover and leader of the strike.
Parpagnolli. to decide on surrender or on
submission by appeal to a general refer
endum. J. 400 voted by ballot for the con-
tinuation Of the strike. less than 800 for its
cessation. Here the Labor Bureau did
intervene to prove TO them the utter
hopeIessness Of holding out. SO to neces-
sity they yielded: the employers refusing
to dismiss a single krumir, taking the
strikers back one by one, according to
the roIl-lists. and sending personal sum-
mons to the respective houses of the men.
in no case treating with the Federazione
del Libro
Clearly. every country and class must
buy its own experience. a century Of
industrial warfare in England has reduced
strikes practically to zero and theoretical
" to n negative but here in Italy they
the reeuacted day by day all over the
country Lately did not the very school
boys go on strike because they or their
professors has misinterpreted some mea-
sure adopted by the Minister of Public
instruction? As soon as the general strike
was over. the five Republican members
Of the executive sent in their designations
on the ground that the strike had been
made without consultation with them and
in spite of their disapproval They had
kept silence wnIe it lasted in order not
to add TO the general confusion; but
they now withheld irrevocably. The six
Socialists eutreated them TO reconsider
their decision. and the general council Of
the labor board. which IS the assembly Of
the representatives Of all the organiza
tons Of the workingmen in Rome. pro-
uotnced dissolution for all the sins OF
commission and omission by the entire
executive. begging them TO accept bill
OF indemnity and ali to remain at their
posts. The Republicans. while heartily
grateful for the encomiums Of the coun-
ell. affirmed that they could not consent
to remain IN a position in which they
were unsble TO carry out measures bene-
fetal. from their point Of view. to the
working classes. Or 70 prevent others
which they consider detrimental Hence
the Socialists felt bound also % resign.
and the workers remain pro tenn sheep
without a shepherd.