The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-04-28
Big business plays dangerous game in it's war of
determination of organized labor. The hand is the
hand of Jacob but the voice is the voice of Esau.
Aroused labor will demand for accused men fullest
opportunity for Defense Dynamite theory of ex-
plOsion still remains to be proven.

his gang launched a campaign in
Los Angeles having for it's object the
wiping cut OF the last vestige OF
unionism in that city. Starting in
the brewing trades, it spread to the
metal trades and other industries un-
til the union movement of Los An
geles was engaged actively or sympa-
thetically in a desperate fight to
maintain it's integrity. The govern
merts OF both city and county were
dominated absolutely by Otis and the
Manufacturers Association. The jails
of Los Angeles and vicinity were
packed full of strikers whose only
crime had been a determination to
stand manfully for their moral and
legal rights. Despite all the power of
money and civic authority, Otis was
losing ground and the union move
ment grew in courage and numbers.
A monster demonstration with fif-
teen thousand workingmeu in line
was planned by union leaders. The
people of Los Angeles had become
disgusted with the tactics of Otis and
the backbone Of his strength was
breaking.
On the morning of the first day of
last October an explosion wrecked
the Times building and twenty-one
lives were lost. Note this: That
scarcely had the detonations ceased
ere the editorial writer of the Times
charged union labor with blowing
up the building, and this charge was
re-echoed by Otis the following day
Bombs THAT DID NOT GO OFF
were conveniently found near the
residences of Otis and the president
of the Manufacturers Association.
Dynamite, shrieked Otis; dynamite,
shrieked the Times; dynamite,
shrieked the capitalistic press the
country over. Investigations were
the order of the day by the city and
county authorities, and they, with
one accord, shrieked dynamite. Re-
wards aggregating the sum of one
hundred thousand dollars were Of
fered for the apprehension of the
and cry, one thing stands out like
an accusing brand against the au-
thorities who were so righteously en-
gagged in tracking the alleged dynam-
tiers. Not all the combined bowling
of the mob could convince the people
that dynamite was the cause of the
explosion. Many things pointed at
gas as the cause. Under any cir
eumstances of all the people most
concerned, union labor was most vi
tally interested. 1t rested under the
open charge of being at the bottom
of the whole thing. 1t was up to
them to clear their skirts of any
completely in the affair or if any in
dividual members of trades unions
were involved to help hand
them over to the law Organ
lied labor could do nothing else. 1t
had duty to itself and to the public
in the premises. Yet the union lead
ers were refused permission by the
mayor of the city to examine the
scene of the tragedy. The State Fed
Grafton of Labor of California was in
session and appointed a committee to
conduct an examination. This COM
mittee was refused permission by the
mayor to visit the premises under
the flimsy excuse that it was private
property and the owners refused to
allow anybody upon it. And this
when the good name of the trade
union movement of California;
of the nation-was at stake.
A grand jury was called and un-
der the bulldozing of the prosecuting
attorney, who was tool of the Man
ufacturers' Association, returned a
verdict of dynamite by party or
parties to us unknown"
Despite the unanimous verdict of
those who wanted it to be dynamite,
the gas theory gained more and more
adherents. Different experts in ex-
ploslves have declared that dynamite
could not have caused the explosion
They declare that dynamite suffi-
ciant TO have caused that catastropeh
would not have left one brick stand
Ing apon another. The concussion
from a dynamite explosion of suffi-
cient force to have wrecked the Times
building would have broken the win
dows in every adjacent building, de-
clare these experts. A dynamite ex-
plosion in Seattle last fall broke the
windows in residences blocks away
from the dynamited building. Scores
and scores of dynamite explosions
have been cited which were abso-
lutely unaccompanied by flame. One
man who was living in Cripple
Creek, Colorado, at the time of the