Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-11
7. R. DENOUNCES
COLUMBUS RIOTS
Urges People of Ohio Capital to
Investigate Causes Lead
ing to Strike
MAYOR HEARS STERN WORDS
Colonel States Views for Giving
Justice to Both Sides in
Labor Dispute
MAYOR HEARS STERN WORDS
CONTINUED from Page

obtained law and order, but you are
derelict to your duty unless you treat
this merely as the first, although a
necessary and all-important step, in
obtaining justice. In any big strike
not only the employees and employers
are particularly interested, but the
public is, too. Especially Is this the
case with public corporations.
"It is not merely your duty but
your right, you people of Columbus,
you people of Ohio to insist on know
ing all the facts that led UP to and
brought on this strike before you pass
judgment on 1t.
"It has been alleged to me that the
trouble began because of a dismissal
by the company of its employees for
asking for higher wages. 1t is also al
legged that it has continued because of
the open or covert effort of the cor
poration to prevent the formation of a
union among the employees. Both al
legations are denied. You should get
authoritative information as to wheth-
er they are false or true.
"Of course to dismiss men for ask
ing for an increase of wages would be
such an infamy that can hardly be-
lieVe ii 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 a necessity OF
our modern industrial system as the
corporation itself. Both must obey the
law, but each is a necessity Under
modern conditions 1t is oftime neces-
sary that there should be collective
bargaining on the part of the men,
and this can only come through the
union.
WOULD BELONG To UNION
'I am an honorary member of a
union myself. If 1 were wage work.
er engaged in manual labor l should
certainly join the union. Union men
have no right to force other wage
workers into union. AS was SO well
said in the admirable report of the
anthracite strike commission, such ac-
tion is as gross a violation of rights 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
each side.
Moreover, IL your present arbltra-
tion law is not stringent enough, make
1t more stringent, and If 1t is not con-
stitutional, amend the constitution.
But do not wait to remedy any pres
ent wrongs until the constitution is
amended.
"The state and municipality have
power to f rec any public service cor
poration to do what is right II they
choose to exercise that power. 1t is
the business of the people to see that
they SO choose.
I'm conclusion, friends, your duties
are two-fold: First, at once and with
out equivocation and hesitation to en-
force order, suppress violence and see
to 1t that the law Is obeyed in letter
and spirit. Second, as soon as this re-
suit has been achieved, turn at once
to the great question of justice and ex-
ert your whole power to find out the
facts, treating any refusal to give you
all the facts as a confession of guilt.
If injustice has been done, exert the
whole power of your government to
see that it is remedied forthwith, and
if there is any effort to prevent and
if the attempt to remedy 1t is obstruct-
ed. see to it that there is not only a
remedy but punishment and take steps
that will effectually prevent repeti-
tion of the injustice"