Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-12-08
THE GENERAL STRIKE.

It Seems Destined ito Become the
 Future Weapon of the TOilers.
 While the delegates at the Social Democratic convention in Bremen, Ger many, were engaged in a theoretical discussion regarding the general strike and did not exactly know what atti- tude to take, strike of this kind took place in Italy which went far beyond the expectations that are usually asso- ciated with the idea. In Milan the strike was complete. All the factories were idle, the street railEays had stop ped traffic, the papers failed to appear, the stores and restaur@gts were closed, and bread, meat and fish could not be bought-in short, the indispensable nec- essaries of life were wanting. Even the cabs were missing on the streets.
 'As usual when the people attempt to test their power, troops were sent to the scene. But the government did not dare to incite the population. Things became suspicious in a high degree. Even the police took pains to observe a considerable reservedness, obeying necessity and not their own inclina- tions.
 S'And the example in Milan had contagious effect. Genoa, Turin, Ven ice, Naples, Rome and other cities joined the strike, which in consequence became imposingly bulky and con- vinced the government that something had to be done to allay the excited masses. As the strike had been caused by the interference of the troops, which had killed several workers and naimed others, the minister of war, Giolitti, felt compelled to give the la bor leaders the promise that under no circumstances would in future troops be sent to the scene of strike and that the police would also be instruct ed to observe the greatest impartiality during time of strikes. Thus the Ital- ian workers have achieved a great vic tory through their united and harmo- nious action. And the l9ders of the German trades unions will do well in taking lesson of this event. The gen. eral strike is the future weapon of the toilerS, from whom one day all other arms may be taken out of their hands. Surely the general strike ought not to be paragraphed or included in the par ty platform. But it should not be neg lected to familiarize the people with the nature of general strike. Such agitation will some day surely bear fruit
 These elaborations, says the Chicago Arbeiter Zeitung, we have reprinted from Zeit am Montag Chimes on Mon day, edited by Bernstein), and we have little to add to them. We only desire to give prominence to the fact that the idea of a general strike is coming more and more home to the minds of the workers. Even the organs of Social Democracy, which formerly scorned and ridiculed the idea, are be- ginning to take lively interest in the question. Indeed, even the VOrwarts, the leading party organ of Social De- mocracy in Germany, already speaks of the glorious days of the general strike in Italy. We must not revoke these days for trifing matters, but we will and must leave open the probabil- ity of a repetition of them at any time" the Socialist editor concludes his article on the achievements and les sons of this great strike without rais- ing the paltry question of what the toilers are going to eat on the second day of the general strike. Free So =4Atw