The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-10-21
LOS ANGELES DISASTER
REVIEWED BY GENE DEBS
In Caustic Sentences Labor Leader Shows Utter Fa-
lacy OF Charge Made by Otis-The Animus Behind
the Attack Upon Organized Labor Fully Exposed

at the time of the explosion. 1t was in
striking analogy to the blowing up of
the Independence platform in the class
war in Colorado five years ago, and we
now know beyond the shadow of a
doubt what side committed that re-
voting crime and what was it's OBJ
ject
Second, The tide of organized labor
in California was steadily rising, the
Socialist campaign was in full swing,
and there was to be eliminating
demonstration of the united labor forces
at Los Angeles but a few days after
The Times was blown up. This dem
onstration was promptly called off by
the leaders of the unions, grievous
blunder on their part, which places
them in a defensive and apologize at
titude utterly unwarranted by the cir
cumstances of the situation. Instead
of pleading not guilty to the criminal
charge preferred against the workers.
without a scintilla of proof they should
have Immediately accused Otis and his
gang of union-haters and called upon
them to prove that their own hands
were not red with the crime.
Third, The Los Angeles Times is the
most venomous foe of organized labor
in the United States and its own record
proves that there is no crime too alb
horrent for it to commit to wreck its
vengeance on the labor movement.
Fourth, The statement is made by the
Times itself and confirmed by press
dispatches from Chicago that General
Otis, "having anticipatd just such an
eventuality," had a duplicate printing
plant and a duplicate working force in
reserve, all in readiness to leap into the
breach and rescue the paper when the
expected bomb exploded. This admis-
sion proves too much 1t is fatal to
Otis and tile Times. What cause had
Otis to anticipate the explosion AMI
prepare for it? Suppose labor union
ist had made such an admission, or
even intimated that he knew the ex
plosition would occur, would he not
promptly be arrested on suspicion and
lodged in jail?
Yes, we are only too ready to be
lieve that Otis and his pals expected
the explosion and were entirely pre-
pared for it when it came.
Fifth The united league of newspa-
pers which embraces chain of daily
papers scattered over the country, and
friendly in their attitude towards or
eanized labor, recently sent special cor
respondent to California to investigate
conditions growing out of the war be-
tween labor and capital on the Pacific
Coast, and his series of articles is now
running in those papers. These articles
describe a situation and desperation
on the part of the capitalists that has
a fitting climax in the blowing up OF
the Times, as the same war had in the
blowing up of the Independence plat
form in Colorado.
In the second article of this series
and let it be remembered that these are
capitalist papers and not labor papers
the capitalists composing the manu-
facturers' association are described as
in a state bordering on frenzy in their
determination to utterly annihibate "at
anv cost and at all hazards" organized
labor on the Pacific Coast. rhe chair
man is personally quoted as saying to
the correspondent representing these
capitalist newspapers: WE WILL
NEVER CEASE UNTIL THE LAST
VESTIGE OF UNION LABOR HAS
BEEN WIPED OFF THE PACIFIC
COAST"
This vehement and bloodthirsty de-
claration was made only short time
before the Times was blown up and the
united workers, few days later, were
to have their mammoth demonstration.
Sixth, The discovery of the bombs
is the one farcial feature of this grue-
some tragedy, which every human being
not utterly void of feeling must de-
plore with all his heart. To prove that
it was the fiendish plot of unionists,
other bombs, accessories to the crime,
and pointing to the identity of its per
netrators. must be located and un-
earthed. OF course it was known in
simultaneously where to look for the
bombs, and of course they were all
found according to specifications. In
each case they were located at the pal
atial homes of the proprietors and man
ayers of the Times and the manufactur-
ers' association, BUT IN NO CASE DID
ONE OF THESE BOMBS EXPLODE.
The bomb that did explode blew up
the wage slaves of the Times only; the
bombs that did not explode did not
blow up any of the aristocratic owners
and managers. There is peculiar
bomb consciousness in evidence here
that clearly draws the line between
capitalists and wage workers.
In Chicago following the Haymarket
riot regular crop of bombs was har-
vested in plutocratie reservations until
finally the thing was overworked by
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