The San Francisco call., 1910-10-13

union dynamiters," the strikers came
back with the intimation that Otis him
self had blown up the building.
There was manifestly no meeting
ground for opinions SO fixed and SO con-
trary. The passions. long brewing, had
burst into their full fire. The flames
spread. 1t had not been circulated
widely that Los Angeles harbored ami
mosities and acute bitternesses such as
followed here in the cleaning Of the
city'S government. But the Times eX-
plosion brought to the surface the mu-
tual mistrusts which were better bur-
led at such a time
Two investigating agencies were
named, one by Mayor Alexander and
the other by the Merchants and Manu-
facturers association. William j.
Burns represented the former, Earl
Rogers the latter. There was conflict
from the first and it still persists.
INTERNAL. DISCORD
There We're other differences which
even the mantle of charity could not
conceal. benefit for the relatives of
the victims, of which the Merchants
and Manufacturers association, known
colloquially as .sthe M and NJ" were
to share control with Richard Ferris,
served to reopen old misunderstand-
ings. Ferris and F. j. Zeehandelaar
COHllueQ slueiT. MUTUAL QlSilh6S 10 The
press of the city and Ferris withdrew
after sending 500 "for ticket in the
gallery"
It's long fight against union labor,
the general strike movement then in
progress and the constant warfare of
union labor upon the paper led the Los
Angeles Times into mighty endeavor to
fasten the guilt upon the labor leaders.
Even at that the local pride of the
Times prompted it to absolve the
union men Of Los Angeles. The guilty.
it stated. were from San Francisco. In
a summary of the whole catastrophe
the Times published this as the all
in all:
1t was early in the year that la
Dor leaders in. San Francisco, dis
appointed that they had been
beaten in numerous other attempts
to unionize Los Angeles, deter
mined on a great campaign to sub
strikes in the metal trades and of
the brewery workers were called
and men came down from San
Francisco to teach the local work
men how to conduct strikes in the
real rough houss style. They
thought that by brutality, intimi-
they could pull off the men who
took the places of the strikers and
frighten the employers into conced--
ing their demands. As a matter of
contrary effect. They stiffened the
backs Of the proprietors of the
shops affected and convinced them
that Los Angeles must remain a
diSuniOniZed city.
Failing in their attacks on iron
works and breweries the men from
San Francisco apparently sent an
appeal north to forward supplies in
the way of cash and some of the
higher ups in the labor unions.
Presidents and secretaries of va
rous unionite bodies shortly there
after appeared here and a confer
ence was held in local hotel.
Well indeed, the San Francisco
unionites know that this news
paper was the chief factor which
here. The natural assumption-in-
deed, the only assumption-is that
they determined on the most fiend-
would be able to- get rid of the
Times.
This is the view that General Harri-
son Gray Otis entertains 1t is shared
to some extent by the membership of.
the Merchants and Manufacturers as
sociation. Beyond this it did not ap-
pear to have many supporters.
SOBER JUDGMENT PREVAILS
These accusations of Otis find no echo
in the independent press of Los Angeles.
In these sources and in the public mind
the belief is finding deeper root that a
conspiracy was evolved by some group
such as inspired the Steunenberg mur-
der in Idaho and that it was executed
by creatures such as Harry Orchard.
The first days of impassioned accusa-
tions against union labor have been
superseded by a calmer Judgment.
1t has been recalled that Los Angeles
had become the haven for coterie of
agitators and reds, who had developed
a special brand of hatred of the Times
During the Tabor troubles a drastic
anti -picketing ordinance was passed by
the city council and enforced with a
severity by the police. Street meetings
of those the Times called Reds" were
restricted. The ordinances were openly
disregarded and the jails were filed
All of these circumstances find care
fful consideration in the Investigation of
the crime. They have led the searchers
into Arizona. Nevada, Idaho and back
again. But the hunt will go on. In the
end it must and will be successful The
safety of American institutions de-
mands that the search be relentless; the
punishment the swiftest and heaviest
sanctioned by law.
BRIGADIER GENERAL J. 2. COOK, RETIRED