The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-05-13
Strong Protest Lodged Against
Sending of Federal Troops
to Quell Strike, Which Com
mittee Says Bosses Are Try
ing to Have Done.
Declare Strikers Are Willing
to Arbitrate and Abide Ab-
solutely by Decision of One
Man and Charge That En-
ployers Want Trouble.

protest against the sending of federal
troops to Chicago was submitted 20
President Roosevelt this afternoon. The
protest is signed by c. P Shea. presi-
dent of the International Brotherhood OF
Transfers; Charles Dold, president Chi
cago Federation of Labor, and by other
labor leaders. Charging that the en-
ployers have repeatedly spurned the re-
quest Of the labor leaders for arbitration,
the protes: declares the employers open
ly boosted that federal troops would back
up the employers side Of the contro-
versy.
"Peace," says the protest of the labor
leaders, "rests not upon the militia or
the army, but upon the patience and
long suffering of the toiling mass. Can
a few soldiers scare the men who make
armies and who compose the flower Of
American manhood?'
Declaring that the workers will abide
by the decision Of an arbitrator, even
should that decision fail to be all that
might be hoped for, the appeal to the
president closes with the request that he
consider all the facts in the case before
he permits any abuse Of federal power
in complying with request for troops
The Strikers Protest.
TO the Honorable Theodore Roose-
Welt, president Of the United States
of America:
Honorable Sir-Th1s labor difficulty
began as a lockout. So far as there
has ben any striking done, it has been
has sben any striking done, 1t has been
THE unions involved are committed
both upon principle and by specific
contract with the employers for arbi-
tration
These contracts grew out Of the de-
sire of the unions to protect the pub
lie peace and welfare by providing to
submit all disputes or differences of
opinion to the umpirage of an impair
tial third party, and accepting that de-
cision-right or Wrong-as binding
upon both parties. Such a course Is a
guarantee Of the preservation of law
and order. All that the unions ask for
or desire in this controversy is that an
arbitration shall be granted as specifi-
cally agreed to in the contracts in
volved. All that is desired is that the
public officials shall join with the labor
bodies in demanding that lawlessness
shall not be allowed to be used in
forcing contracts to be broken, and
that violence shall not be allowed to
prevent differences Of opinion to be
settled by the quiet, orderly method of
arbitration.
Agreed on Arbitration.
1.-THE contracts of June 26, 1908, pro-
vide for arbitration as follows in the
sixth, fourteenth and eighth sections
respectively:
"Eighth-It is agreed that in the
event of misunderstanding of any
dispute arising as to the construction
of this working agreement or any mis-
understanding in regard to the opera
ton Of enforcement of this contract
between the parties hereto, or as to
oF ,IroS0 IN nd RI
any section Of this contract, between
the party of the first part and the
party Of the second part, no house
shall lock out any member of said To-
cal union No. 81 and no executive
board or business agent shall declare
a strike, and said>local No. p shall not
declare strike but such misunder-
standing, dispute or difference of opin-
four GA hours to the representatives
of the parties to this contract for set
Element, and in case such representa-
tives fail to settle such controversy
within tWenty-four (24 hours after the
same shall have been submitted to
them, it is agreed that each represent
tatiye shall within said second twenty
four (24 hours name an arbitrator,
and the two arbitrator so selected
shall as speedily as possible name one
disinterested person who shall not be
a manufacturer or member of any
labor organization, and the three so
selected shall within ten days time
settle the difficulty and the decision
SO rendered shall be binding on all par
ties to this agreement.
spurned by Bosses.
You will therefore readily see that
we have the written right to demand
arbitratiol1-a demand that has been
repeatedly spurned by the employers in
the presence Of Mayor Dunno.
"And why spurned?
Because they openly boast that they
can spurn and that the troops under
your command will shoot down him
who dares to openly protest against
their action. They f1atter themselves
that the federal army is their ready
tool to act upon their suggestion-right
or wrong-and they therefore refuse to
have any inquiry made as to whether
they are right Or wrong.
They can now say: There is moth
ing to arbitrate found But if board
should find there was something to
arbitrate, public sympathy might be
too strong for them and they might
not be able to Crush out unionism once
and for ALL as they openly. declare
they intend to do. But can they do It?
rs the army all that these men
think it is? Is it not a fact, after all,
that the power of the army even rests
to q great extent upon the support Of
the people? What would a few SOL
diers be against a nation?
Buffers Fiery Words.
without intending to be discourteous
or suggesting a threat, we desire to
call attention to a clear and true state
nent of this fact by Gen. Benjamin F.
Butler, of Massachusetts, in his Gel
ebrated speech Of some sixty years
ago to the people Of Lowell:
=" If the workingmen can be deprived
OF their freedom and rights by threats
of starvation of themselves and their
wives and children, when they act ac-
cording to the laws and their own
judgments, when they had better be
slaves indeed, having kind masters, in
stead Of being free men, who are only
at liberty to do what their taslunast-
ers impose upon them, or starve. And
this question must be settled here and
now.
"1 know the power Of these corpor-
ations; I know many of the men who
have been in charge. They have r. 80
a mistake In appealing to force. Whe
that weapon is tried they are weak anu
you are strong. They have their mills
a Nd lit