The San Francisco call., 1910-09-11

Let the employees remember that 1T
may well be to the interest of some
of their leaders for political or other
reasons to have lawlessness and dis
order continue, but that it is pre-
eminently against the interest of
the workingmen themselves.
Then your duty has not ended. 1t
has only begun. Then you will have
obtained law and order, but you are
derelet to your duty unless you
treat this merely as the first
although necessary and all
important step in obtaining justice.
In any big strike not only the en-
ployes and employ ers are particular
ly in interest, but the public is, too.
Especially is this the case with pub
lie corporatio
1t IS not merely your duty but
your right, you people of Columbus,
you people of Ohio. to insist on
knowing all the facts that led up to
and brought on this strike and pass
judgment on it.
1t has been alleged to me that
the trouble began because of a dis
missal by the company of some of
its employees for asking for higher
wages. 1t is also alleged that 1t
has continued because of the open
to prevent the formation of union
among the employees. Both allega-
tions are denied. You should get
authoritative information as to
whether they are false or true.
OF course, to dismiss men for ask
ing for an increase of wages would
be such an infamy that 1 can hardly
believe it occurred, but you should
find out definitely. To dismiss men
for membership in or for proposing
to join a union would be almost as
bad. The union is just as much
necessity of our modern industrial
system as the corporation itself.
Both must obey the law, but each
is a necessity. Under modern con-
ditions it is ofttimes necessary that
there should be collective bargain
ing on the present men and this can
only come through the union.
/ am an honorary member of
union myself If 1 were a wage
worker engaged in manual labor L
should certainly join the union.
Union men have no right to force
other wage workers into the union.
AS was so well set forth in the
admirable report of the anthracite
strike commission, such action is
as gross a violation of right as is
the so called secondary boycott
But it is equally an outrage for
the employer to discriminate against
the unions and to fail to work with
them in a spirit of cordial good
faith on both sides. Moreover, il
your present arbitration law is not
sufficiently stringent, make it more
stringent, and If it is unconstitu-
tional, amend the constitution. But
do not wait to remedy any present
wrongs until the constitution is
amended.
The state and the municipality
have power to force any public serv-
ice corporation to do what is right
if they choose to exercise that
power, and it is the business of the
people to see that they SO choose.
In conclusion, friends, your duties
are twofold. First, at pnce and
without equivocation and hesitation
to enforce order, suppress violence
and see that the law is obeyed in
letter and spirit; second, as soon
as this result has been achieved,
turn at once to the great ques-
tion of justice and exert your whole
power to find out the facts, treat
ing any refusal to give you all the
facts as a confession of guilt
If injustice has been done, exert
the whole power of the government
to see that it is remedied forthwith
and if there is any effort to prevent
and if the attempt to remedy it is
obstructed, see to it that there is
not only remedy, but punishment,
and take steps that will effectually
prevent a repetition of the injustice
You people of Columbus face one
Of the crises which from time
to time in our American life
demand the exercise of the highest
qualities of good citizenship 1t is
your immediate duty to secure law
and order, and once this has been
done it becomes your even higher
and more pressing duty to see that
justice, full and complete, is guar
anteed alike to the employer, the
employe and the people as a whole.