The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-10-06

.prehension cf the bomb thrower''
should it de, =lpp that the building
was SO destroyed
Meanwhile the city is seeth!ns with
rumor. William ]. Burns OF The Burns
IL Sheridan Detective Agency. is on
the ground and in practical charge Of
The probe
Ihe- local papers state that he is
convinced that it was a nitroglycerine
bomb which demolished the building.
Alleged discoveries of alleged at
tempts to blow upthe homes of Geu
eral Otis and of f. j. Zeehandelarr
the leading spirit of the Merchants
ana Manufacturers association, are.
being made and there have been three
suspects arrested. the third being
Martin Egan, an alleged anarchist"
1t is believed by organized labor
throughout the country that Otis and
members of the manufa cturers as.
sociation of California know more.
about the cause of the explosion than
they will dare admit The opinion is
based from the fact that an emergency
printing plant was in readiness to
resume operation after the explosion.
and that not even the most Intimate
friends of Otis knew of its existence.
and that the explosion took place at
time when none but the minor EN-.
ployes were in the building. 1t
looks very much like some of the
dynamiting episode that took place
in Colorado a few years ago and which
were charged to organized labor. but
were proven to have eminated from
the union haters. Labor will demand
a thorough investigation and if made
hv honest and impartial men VIII
provo Otis charges slanderous lies
for which he is famous.
Special Organizer Anton Johnnsan
OF the California building trades in
discussing the disaster says that The
stories about tine Internal machine
being found reminded me of the ridic-:
ulous stories told by Harry Orchard
III the Haywood case. If there are
any Internal machines. they were
made to order to suit the Manufac.
''i'Ip dh" NbdntS ASSOCIATION
who would stoop to almost any kind Of,
a trick to discredit the unions in. Los
Angeles who are nobly fighting for
their rights.
After reading the full reports from
Los Angeles of the destruction of the
Times plant and the implication that.
labor unions were responsible for tha
explosion. Samuel Gompers. made
this statement:
'Th" position of the Times as hos.
tile TO union labor is we'll known. but
nothing had occurred recently to-
make the feeling of the union men
against the parer acute regret
Mr., C:ompers. Of the American Fedora.
tinr Il Labor. said in regard to the
CHARGES made against labor unions by
the, management OF the Los Angeles
Times. that. in his oplnrcn. .hey were
most unjust.
Il am satisfied" he declared. that
an investigation will prove to tho
world thai the statement givcn to the
press by the editors { the Los Angeles
Times. charging that the catastrophe
was caused by labor unions. as re.
taliatio1 for the bitter warfare the
paper has waged against them. will
prove untrue in every particular
1T is indeed to be regretted the
management should. Immediately ami
without investigation. give to tha
press a statement placing the respon-
sibility for the catastrophe upon
great hody of law abiding citizens
Every decent impulse wculd demand
that an investigation should take
place before an endeavor should be
made to prejudice the minds Of the
public along the lines which th= Times
has been working assiduously for
many years.
TT is with the utmost regret thai
] read of the loss of life occasioned
by the destruction OF the Times build.
ing.