New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-08
In French Labor Disputes This
New Weapon Has Come
to Have at Times a
Terrible Force.
BY Andre Tridon.

THE whole civilized world was shocked
the other day to hear that the great
French warship L.ibcrte was blown
10 pieces in the harbor OF Toulon, and that
almost two hundred and fifty Of her crew
were killed. Hardly had the echoes Of the
mysterious explosions in the great snip $
magazines died away before Frenchmen
were whispering Sabotage" The &uthorl-
ties. after a cursory investigation said
Spontaneous combustion OF gunpowder'
but persistent pessimiSts only shook theh
heads and retorted: Sabotage
For this new word, or. rather for the
new meanings attributed to an old word
We must thank the controversy Capital
versus Labor" which is going on at a
lively pace on the other side OF the At
iantic.
Sabotage used 10 mean work carelessly
done. literally Kicked around with wooden
clogs" Now il means-well, what does 1t
not mean?
When the growers and the manufactur-
ers OF champagne wine were trying 10
settle the dispute between nature and
laboratories they invaded one anothers
CelldlS ana tUplitu HuiiNlN"'
into the gutter: Sabotage.
Railroad men. having lost strike, man
age cleverly TO increase the daily number
Of wrecks: Sabotage
The price Of food is soaring and the
housewives of France commander meat
shops: Sabotage.
Sabotage rose TO its present glory
wear ago. when the railroad men Of France
were trying 10 enforce certain demands
before the big strike was declared. Sabo-
tage was then a highly systematized. very
scientific means Of retaliation against the
companies. the more dangerous as It's per-
petrators could easily squeeze through the
finest meshes Of any legal net
Sabotage was not lawbreaking, we
might almost add. on the contrary, it con-
sisted merely in the strict discharge OF
every employees duty-the thorough full
flment Of every order the stubborn obedi-
ence 10 every rule and regulation, with the
most stupid. though unpunishable, disre-
gard for every emergency. For strict
obedience 10 orders on the part Of an in
dividual devoid Of intelligence and initiative
IS bound 10 bring about disaster.
Railroad men acted then Ike that Chi
nese tailor who had been commissioned
by a foreign consul to duplicate exactly
a suit Of clothes given him as q model.
We'll. the Chinaman did duplicate the suit
accurately, so accurately, I'm fact. that a
patch on the trousers, a torn belt on the
vest and two grease spots on the coat were
carefully duplicated on the new garment
station hands would work faithfully
until the precise minute when they were
supposed 70 leave off, and then allow
freight car they had been moving TO crash
al the bottom Of an incline or 10 block
the path OF incoming trains. Repair gangs
would keep on repairing the track In front
of a limited. delaying it for an hour and
disorcanizing the schedule Of every sta
ton. or else let it pass over a stretch OF
unfastened rails. and consequently sink
into the roadbed.
ola employees would suddenly forget the
usual routine and wait for formal orders
before lifting q finger. Should the manage
rnent neglect TO inform all the baggage
men Of the fact that train AZ would be on
track instead Of track 10. all baggage
destined for No. A. would be loaded on