Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1911-12-08
STRIKERS In EUROPE

lGxrRAcTs FROM BOOKER J
WAsAlN0ToN's sFORThco MING
Dook, .ThE MAN FARTHEs7
DOWN..
There 10 one English word which
eczema to be more widely known ans
used IN europe than almost any other
Il is'ths word Strike Labor strikes
] have understood, had their origin
with the factory system In England
But the people on the continent have
improved on the original English de
vice, and have found ways OF using u
OF which We, In America, at any rate
have rarely erer heard.
II seems to me that during my short
Journey on the continent. heard Of
moro kinds Of strikes. and learned
more about the different ways In
which this form OF warfare can be
used than ever learned before In all
my life. In Europe one hears, for ex-
ample, OF political strikes, Of general
strikes, and Of agricultural strikes,
which are peculiar and interesting
variety of the ordinary labor strikes.
There are rent strikes. .hunger riots
strikes OF students, even Of legtsla-
lures, and when l was In Budapest,
someone called my attention 70 an &C
count In one Of the papers OF what
was called house strike" This was
the case In which the tenants OF one
OF the large tenement buildings Of
apartment houses OF the city had gone
on strike to compel the landlord to
reduce the rent, They had hung the
landlord In efigy in the big central
court around which the building is
erected, decorated the walls and bal
comics with scurrilous placards and
then created such q disturbance by
their jeers and outcries. supplemented
with fish horns. that the whole neigh
borhood was reused. The house strik
srs took this way to advertise their
grievances, gain public sympathy and
secure reduction Of the rent.
had an opportunity. during my
stay in Europe to get some first-hand
information In regard to the manner
OF these continental strikes. was in
Berlin just before and after the three
days battle between the striking coal
yard men Of Moabit and the police. in
the course Of which several Of the Of
dcers and hundreds of the people were
lNl or
ton OF Berlin was practically III q
state OF siege. The police charged
the crowd with their horses, trampled
the people under foot, and cut them
down with their swords. The soldiers
hunted the strikers into the neighbor-
ing houses. where they attempted to
barricade themselves and replied to
the attacks Of the police by hurting
missiles from the windows of the
houses into the streets below. At
night the streets we're in darkness
The strikers had cut the electric
wires, thus shutting of the lights so
that the police were compelled to
carry torches In order to distinguish
friends from foes.
At another time. while was in
Fiume, Hungary, had an opportunity
to see for myself the manner and
spirit in which these strikes are con-
Quoted. or rather the way In which
they are put down by the police.
IL had gone out one day to visit the
immigrant station. which is situated
On the outskirts OF the city. and no.
ticed. on my way thither. a number OF
policemen on the car, Then apparent
" at a signal from man In charge,
they seemed to melt away. Hall an
hour later, while was at the immi-
grant station, was startled by loud
cries outside the building. Everyone
rushed to the windows. The street
was crowded with men, women and
children, all running heller SHELTER In
the direction OF the city. Some Of
the hands in q nearby factory, was
told, had gone on strike. could not
1T first understand. however, why
everybody seemed In such q state Of
terror. Very soon Ilearned they were
\ running from the police, and mo-
ment later the police themselves
moved into view. s55
They were formed In a broad line
ACROSS the avenue, and marching rap
idly. simply swept everything before
them. AT their head, bearing a heavy
cane, was man IN plain clothes. |
do not know whether he was an off,
Ger or the proprietor Of the factory.
hut was struck by the naughty con-
tempt with which be surveyed the rab-
BILE, as It melted away from In front
sof him. In Z few minutes the street
was empty and. 80 far as could see,
the strike was over, 4 4
II was q small afIair in any case.
I There was no bloodshed and almost
no resistance on the part OF the strik-
ers, so far as could see. It was suf-
f1cient, however. to give me a very
vivid notion Of the ruthless way In
which the governments Of these stern
military powers deal with rebellious
slaborers. European governments seem
to have the habit Of interfering, In q
way Of which we have no conception
In this country. in al the small and
intimate affairs Of life. So 1t was
not to be expected that they would
be able. as the police In this country.
to act a. d neutral party or refuse to:
take part in the struggles, as we say
sof labor and capital. That Is the rea-
son, suspect, h why In Europe
strikes almost always turn out to be
u battle with the police or an insur-
rection against the government.
IA aA lmnat ANYTHING may he mada .fl1a