The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-09-29
Special Officers
and the Workers
BY ROBERT HUNTER

| ~S"oSSo>'0e>s0oNsSa Ns0oSdoS0SSS1S1SSlS
Some time ago, in a police court
OF New York City. a magistrate was
dealing with several arrests that
grew out OF a strike.
The arrests had been made in all
instances by some special officers
serving directly under the instruc-
tons ofthe employers.
| When the magistrate saw the type
that these special officers represented
| ne gave utterance to the following
| statement:
II think 1t an outrage" no said,
"that the police commissioner Ia en-.
abled to furnish police power to these
special officers, many OF them thugs,
men out Of work. SOME OF WHOM
WOULD COMMIT MURDER FOR
TWO DOLLARS.
| Most OF the arrests which have
| been made by these men have been
| absolutely unwarranted. In nearly
every case one of these special Off
| GERS has first pushed a gun in the
prisoners face.
"The shooting last night. when a
boy was killed. shows the result of
giving power to such men. 1t is a
disgrace and a shame to the police
department OF the city that such con-
ditions are allowed to exist
l suppose there Is no other place
| in the world where such conditions
do exist
suppose there is no other place
l nratan6S n
would PERMIT such conditions to
| exist.
Yet this magistrate portrays a con-
dition which exists in almost every
Industrial city in the United States.
| 1t has become a regular procedure
The bosses go to the police commits
! sioners and get appointed as THEIR
special policemen, detectives, thugs
and ex-convicts.
These men are then armed to the
teeth, ready to commit murder at the
drop OF the hat
Yet no one protests. That is the
| amazing thing. We pretend to be
free born American citizens and yet
We submit meekly to this mob rule
1t Is the cause OF most OF the vlo-
| lence that occurs in almost every
strike. 1t goads and torrents the
strikers until they. too. are prepared
for murder
A gang OF armed rufflans, foul
mouthed, brutal, and often drunken
that pretend to represent law and
order are enough to provoke men who
work hard year in and year out anu
never violate the peace.
These special police are OF COURSE
encouraged to start a fight They
are the American type of les Agents
provocateurs."
A fight serves the bosses by turn
ing public sentiment against the men,
And these ruffians start riots and dis
order to give the bosses a chance to
call out the militia.
The bosses can then break the
strike by arresting multitude OF
strikers and filming them heavily for
disorderly conduct.
And when these rur1ans commit
murder they say invariably they have
done it in self defense.
These special policemen are respon.
sible to no one. They are not elect
ed. They are not paid by the city
They are thugs. employed directly
by the bosses.
In some cases they have been hired
assassns that go out to create trouble
| and TO arrest Or club any man that
| resents their brutality.
1t Is we'll for union men to have
this testimony of Magistrate Stein.
ert OF New York City. And 1t would
be we'll for union men all over the
country to use this testimony in pro-
testing against the use OF the bosses
OF a special police.
1t is an outrage to which the
unions ought no longer submit. They
ought to make a campaign in every
town against special policemen,
whether they are employed in time OF
peace or in time of war. 1t Is I'M
dulterated Anarchy.
Our present government is based,
the philosophers say. on anarchist
principles except in one thing. We
I,o +o1l