The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-05-26

But the upper courts are owned and OPP
Grated by the same power that the lower
courts are and the law stood the test.
Over 400 strikers have been arrested on
the strength of the law and but five
convictions have come out of the prose-
cution of the men. Seeing the futility
of the law as it stood strong effort
was made to get through the recent leg
islature II law making it possible for
nine Jurors to convict in all cases except
where a death penalty could be applied.
But the socialist legislative publicity bu
reau at Sacramento turned the spotlight
on the atrocious measure and il was
killed
Then the Goo Coos held conference
and decided to arrest strikers on "
charge of conspiring to commit crime
picketng. The ghastly joke is that
picketing is not crime but a misde
meanor. They called it a crime to try
to commit misdemeanor and again
made ridiculous proposition stick.
Thirty-five striking iron workers were
arrested on this outrageous charge and
the bail was placed at $500 despite the
fact that the maximum fine for picket
ing is $50. The defense pointed to the
| fact that this act would result in the
men being punished before trial and con
viction. The Judge persisted and a mum
Der of the men were held in Jail. The
jury in the case disagreed after trial
lasting three weeks and the case will, in
all probability, be abandoned. The strik-
ing brewers scored a clean victory and
all of them have been taken back at the
increased wage and reduced hours for
which they struck. All strike breakers
were discharged. Despite this fact there
are about fifty cases pending against
individual brewery workers charged
with breaking the anti-picketing law
| The brewery workers strike was IL mag
nificent exhibition of solidarity and at
tendant success. The splendid support
rendered by unions all over the country
and the class conscious spirit shown by
the workers Were the things that went
far to make success of the strike
There was something heroic in the way
the men held out under the most ad-
verse circumstances. The struggle was
Characteristic also as showing the length
to which the capitalist class will go to
secure its ends. The NJ. & M. pledged
itself to recoup the brewers for the fl
nancial losses resultant from the strug-
gle. They tried to starve the workers
into line but it wouldn't work. The
week when the breweries We're to yield
and grant the demands of the men the
explosion occurred in the Los Angeles
Times. In desperation the brewers held
out, thinking public sentiment would
swing in their direction. Ten months
experience showed them their error and
they yielded, much to the disgust of the
! NJ. & NJ. and Los Angeles Times.
The plot of capitalism is to crush or
ganized labor in Los Angeles, then move
onward to Portland where the second
battle will be fought; winning there the
triumphant march will be continued to
San Francisco. Taking advantage of the
gas explosion which destroyed the Times
IA great conspiracy has been Matched by
capitalism, Harry Orchard has been
found, the Haywood case paralelled to
the minutest details, even to the fake
confessions and identifications following
the kidnapping.
Organized and unorganized labor in
Los Angeles is joining hands with the
socialists in the political action that
started today by the nomination of a
full socialist union labor ticket for the
municipal election next fall.
/ The workers must win on the po-
litical field as well as on the industrial
field that is the determination and the
battle cry is Los Angeles for the work
ars