The Washington herald., 1907-10-27
new LABOR FIGURE
Strike blocker Would Elm
mate Strike-bPeaker
PERSUASION IS HIS WEAPON
Uses Common Sense to Discount
FIambOyant OratOry of the Self
seeking Leader, but Does Not
ScruPIe to Resort TO Force II lie
Finds that IL Is justified.

The strike blocker-have you heard Of
him? Perhaps not; because his is a new
and novel vocation. lie has pre-empted
the place OF the strike breaker, whose
methods have only resulted in setting
labor more bitterly against capital.
Instead Of a melodramatlc figure posed
on a truck or car, leading his cohort of
strike-breakers under protection of police
or militia, imagine the quiet student who
nips strike in the bud by cold logic
This chap believes that he has mission
20 perform; believes that he can accom-
plish more than arbitration committees
learned sociologists. statesmen, or even
a United States President Briefly his
method Is 10 Join a union when "a crisis
approaches. and by comforting with both
employer and employed, learn the cause
Of the trouble To do this be must have
the confidence Of each, ard TO unlonists,
Of course, his identity must not be re-
vealed. lie is the ounce OF prevention"
/ that lis worth pound of cure"
Within the last twelve months strike
/ blocking concerns have been established
In every important industrial center OF
/ the country. The operatives number
! thousands. and it Is claimed for them
/ that they have already averted more than
a dozen big strikes. Their efforts are
( directed by shrewd men who combine the
abilities OF a skilled detective and an
intelligent labor leader Curious enough.
/ these fellows seem 60 have friendly rela-
tions With labor union officials, who know
perfectly well what the strike blocker is
doing fact which was plainly Illustrated
/ to the writer recently upon entering the
office Of Thomas j. Farrell. IN New York.
Waiting TO confer with the boss strike
blocker Of the East was a walking dele
gate who had much notoriety during the
sam Parks exposure. and the man who
/ emerged presently from the private con
sUlting room was the president Of huge
/ labor union. whose membership numbers
( over twenty thousand
Both good friends Of mine" said the
strike blocker. CrispIy 4 just did Jim
there good turn. There was a crooked
delegate who would have had good
sized strike under way IL my operatives
hadn't uncovered him. He wanted the
men 20 break "a two years contract with
their employer. You know-just a trouble
maker. He had Co use little force. In
fact, he's over !n tEe hospital now
An operator working for a strIke-bloGk-
ing agency earns anywhere from 81 10
50 q week. according % his accomplish
msnts. One employ- of FarrelTs is
skilled in seventeen different trades. On
addition 90 being an orator and soclo-
/ logical expert A well-equlpped agency
must have a staff that supplies all sorts
{ Of mechanics. When trouble threatens iu
/ factory or shop the wise employer Of TO-
day does not wait for the crisis He
summons the aid of an agency which
/ furnishes "a couple of professional block
ers, who 40 both detective and mission
airy work. That is % say. they keep
their employer and the agency chief in
formed of what Is going on inside. and
meanwhile they combat the agitation
with argument
You would be astonished." related
Farrell. "to see what one intelligent.
fearless man can do. Laboring men are
like "a lot OF sheep. oftentimes. bundIy
following a leader in whatever DE pro-
poses. For example, take the 400 metal
workers OF an establishment m Brook
lyn who were stampeded recently 10y
twenty disturbprs This was one OF the
best and fairest shops ln the country.
Its employees were well treated. Some
had been there twenty years and had
placed their s0ns-even grandsous-with
the firm \ certain labor leader. through
a handful Of uuion men-thc vast ma
jority We're n-union-persUaded the
whole outfit 20 strike. AS they we're
going out, the superintendent asked this
one and that why he was striking Don't
know. sir was the answer. I guess. /
because the rest aret When the strike
was finally lost. after three months. /
these misguided fellows either lost their
jobs or had to so back at reduced wages. !
'One competent strllIe-blocker could /
have ayerted this calamity, because he /
would not hesitate 10 60 against a leader. /
even II the leader were backed by the /
American Federation of Labor Fear |
prevents the ordinary workman from
speaking his mind. The labor leader uses /
that as a club. With his education. ora /
tory. and influence Of position ne can
twist a thousand honest workmen around /
his thumb. If any of them has the de 4
sire he hasn't the nerve TO get up and 1
demand facts.
Take that longshoremen's strike II /
was booked for a fizzle from the start, 4
and yet the organizer pulled out 10000 or 4
1900 men. Never was a cleaner piece Of 4
had his union out to a man. he didn't /
know what to do with them. He lacked 4
generalship. He should have insisted on |
the longshoremen having an understand |
ing with the freight handlers and team /
sters before declaring war. Such a COM /
bination would have tied up all New /
York, and very probably would have won.
Too late the men learned their mistake"
The catch phrase Of professional strike
blockers is Reason rather than force"
Nearly all Of them are or have been labor
unionists Naturally their affiliations
with an agency whose object is to protect
capital is kept secret Otherwise they
could accomplish nothing. Essential quail
fcations are "A wide, liberal grasp of the
industrial problem, an acquaintance with
facts and figures, and the ability to con-
vince fellow-labOrer
To this end there Is connected with the
New York agency a night school, a libra
ry, a reference bureau. and, in short all
educational facilities whereby the strike
blocker may get on the job armed cap-a-
pie Information is condensed. docketed.
and pigeonholed for convenience, so that
If John IODpc uptc n hurry noffca ~ oDar Z
ate with iron workers or chandelier fit
teTs he may, in a jiffy, secure data con-
cerning those particular crafts.
In talking with Farrell one might get 4
the idea that he and his men are cham
pions Of labor rather than canital In !