The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-17

thruSting what 1t has to sell ,QabOr)
 upon us whether or no.
 Suppose an American in a fore gp city should be chased by m b.
 caught and beaten unconscious, then
 his mouth pried open and carbolic ac d poured down his throat then his ri ls
 kicked in and his face well stamped
 with iron nei'cd shoes, murdered ps-
 cause he tried to earn bread for h & children. By the Eternal, sir, a fleet of American Men of War would assem-
 ble there. clesr for action and blow
 something off the face of the earth. if
 reparation were not made for the lood
 of one of our citizens.
 And what answer do we make to the appeals of the hundreds of widows md
 orphans of those Americans murd r d by labor unions? How do we Irs to protect the thousands of intelligent
 citizens who, with reason. prefer not to join any labor union and be subject 1 to the tyranny of the heavily paid rul-
 CTS of the lahor trusts2
 Upon a firm refusal by Mr. Post to
 join this criminal conspiracy gen. eral boycott was ordered on Grape
 Nuts and Postum sll ever the coun- r try, which set the good red blood of Eur ancestors in motion, brin ging firth
 the reply that has now passed into
 history: "We refuse to join any con-
 spiracy of organized labor to ruin pub
 fishers. nor will, we discharge any of
 our trusted employees upou the ord ITS
 of any labor union. If they can make
 their boycott effective and sink our
 ship. we will go down with the cap- tain on the bridge and in comm tnd.' This set the writers in labor pap ITS
 crazy and they redoubled their abuse Finally one of their official organs
 came out with a large double column
 denunciation of BattlS Creek, calling it "a running sore on the face of Michi-
 gan," because it would not becuIne
 ''organized" and pay in dues to their
 labor leaders. The usual coarse, vil- famous epithets common to labor union writers were indulG ed In.
 The result was to weld public senti-
 ment in Battle Creek for protection. A
 citizens association was starred and
 mass meetings held Good citi2e s
 who happened to be members of local unionS. in some cases. quit the unions
 entirely for there Is small need of them there.
 The working people of Battle Cree are of the highest order of American mechanics. The majority are not union members. for practically all of
 the manufacturers have for years de- clined to employ union men because of disturbance about eleven years ago.
 and the union men now in the city are
 among the best citizens.
 No city in the State of Michigan p1vs as high average wages as Battle reek
 no city of It's size Is as prosperous.
 and no city has so large a proportion of the best grade of mechanics who
 own their own homes.
 So the work people massed together with the other citizens in the organi- zation of the Citizens Assn with the followingi preamble and constitution: Whereas from 1891 to 1894 the strikes instigated by Labor Unions in Battle Creek resulted in the destruc-
 tion of property and loss of large sums of money in wages that would have | been expended here; and.
 Whereas, these acts caused serious damage to the city and in a marked
 way delayed its progress at that time:
 and.
 Whereas, since the year 1894 the citizens have been enabled, by public eminent to prevent the recurrnnce of striks and Labor Union disturbances
 which have been prevalent elsewhere; and,
 Whereas, the employers of this city
 have steadfaStly refused to place the management of their business under the control of Labor Unions, but have maintained the highest standard of wages paid under like conditions any where in the United States. and her .- by unanimously declared their intent
 to continue such policy: and the em-
 ployes of this city. a large per cent
 age of whom own homes and have
 families reared and educated / under , conditions of peace and the well-earn- ed prosperity of steady employment.
 have steadfastly maintained their right as free American citizens to work without the dictation and tyranny of Labor Union leaders, the bitter expe-
 rience of the past offering sufficient
 reason for a determined stand for free- dom; ana.
 Whereas, the attitude of the citizens on this subject has been the means Of preserving peaceful conditions and continuous prosperity in marked con trast to- the conditions existing in other cities sufft riny from the d'ctI- ton of Trades Unionism; 1t Is there fore.
 Resolved, that the continuance of peace and prosperity in Battle Creek can be maintained. and the destru ,- tive work of outside interfer- ence avoided under the com bined effort and action of all our people. by the formation of Citizens Association.