Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-11-17

Z - -
within few seconds after the explo
siong Is not the business Office o.
the Times pr actically deserted at
o'clock in the morning? Is it possible
that the big books could have beer
carried out in the space of a few sec
onds, when tb ere was not time to save
human Ives? Possibly this question
can be answ cred by the Times, but
isn't it arthtsr queer that the Times
has not voluntarily explained this
point?
Compare Sit uation With that Previous
To Independence Depot Affair.
Compare the situation in Los An
geles just before the Times disaster,
with the situation in Colorado just
before the blowing up of the INDIE
pendence depot What was the situa-
ton in Los Angeles?
l.. The Metal Trades Council petit
toned the manufacturers to raise
wages proportionately to. the increase
in the cost of living.s The reply came
back: eve take pleasure in notifying
you that your communication was con-
signed to the Waste-basket." The
Times gloated over this answer.
2. A strike was called June /, for
the purpose of increasing wages. The
Times called the union men thugs,
m1rderers and assassins for striking.
8. Though fifteen hundred union
men went out, but two disturbances
occurred during the first four weeks.
One was a fist fight between a union
man and non-union man. Though
the evidence failed to show which was
at fault, the union member was fined
$50, while his opponent went free. The
other disturbance was the assault of
union man by policeman. The IN
provoked character of the assault was
SO plain that the policeman was ar
rested and fined 81. The Times COM
mended the officer for beating the
striker.
- 4. An injunction was issued to pre-
serve the peace that had not been dis
turbed. During the three months in |
which the Injunction has been in !
force but one out of the fifteen hundred |
strikers has been charged with violat- |
ing it. But this did not stop the |
Times from calling the strikers |
"strong-arm men" and "dynamiters."
5. About the middle of August the |
City Council passed special ordin-
ance designed to prevent the strikers
from doing anything in furtherance of
the strike, even though they did it |
peaceably This in face of the fact
that the City Attorney advised that
no such ordinance was necessary to
time the Times vilified the unionists
in the foulest terms, repeatedly
charging crime when no evidences of
crime existed.
s, The Union men continued to con-
duct their strike peaceably- and in
conformity with the State laws.
the "anti-picketing or
dinance" was employed to put over
200 of their number in jail.
Never Were Prospects Brighter For
Unionizing Los Angeles.
Z. The ordinance proved failure,
as three-fourths of the trials resulted
in acquittal or hung juries. The last
trial before the catastrophe resulted
in vote of eleven for acquttal and
one for conviction, which the Times
falsif1ed to read one for acQuittal and
eleven for conviction.
8. The strike was winning. More
men were out than ever before. There
was more strike moeny coming in
than ever before. The efforts of the
police to stir the strikers into riot had
failed. The Injunction and the ordin-
ance had failed.
8. Finally, the annual convention
Of the State Federation of Labor was
about to be held in Los Angeles.
That convention was to be opened by
a monster mass meeting preceded by
a parade in which no fewer than
10000 union men would have taken
part. A national convention of the
American Bankers Association was
in session in Los Angeles. A national
convention of mine owners was also
in session in Los Angeles. The
Times and the leading spirits Of the
NJ. & M. were aroused to point of
frenzy over. the coming demonstration
of organized labor. Long had Otis
boosted that Los Angeles, was, in
dustrially, the "freest" city in Amer
lea. Certainly, from the point Of view
of the union-hater,s the crisis was
extreme.
The crisis preceding the blowing up
of the Times presents a strange
parallel with the crisis which pre-
coded the blowing up Of the hdepen-
uSASO uOPVC ~ WV H5SAIS " wv
Colorado Mine Owners Association.
Otis and His neutrality-suspicious. Are
the Criminals.
Adm yet we are not charging Gen
eral Otis with prepetrating similar
outrage. We are not charging Otis
with dynamiting and murder. but we
are charging him with crime scarcely
less heinous. Summing UP, finally, in
our Judgment the facts indicate:
/. That the explosion was not by
1t was gas.
2, That General Otis knows the
Times was destroyed by gas but that
be is deliberately exploiting the dyna-
mite theory, first, in order that he
may escape the just consequences of
criminal negligence; and second, in
order to further a conspiracy to |;
launch an indiscriminate persecution
M m