The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-10-28
SMALL CHILDREN ARE
THROWN INTO PRISON
1.-The Slaughter of the Innocents"
by Capitalism Gone Mad
in Muscatine, Iowa.
Accused of Committing Crime for
Asking Non Unionists Not
Take Parents Jobs.

MUSCATINE, Iowa, Oct. 26.-A
little blue eyed maiden, who had
to Jail here and was confined in
cell for four hours because she had
dared to demonstrate with strike
breakers who were assisting the en-
ployers in their effort to subdue the
workers and defeat the ends of hui
man justice.
Acquainted With Misery.
Young as she was the little lass had
had an acquaintance with misery and
rriVation. She knew that the union
made it possible for children to be
lust kids for a little while; she
knew that it gave them a season for
childish sports; chance to go to
school, and an opportunity to develop
into strong, active men and women.
And because she knew all that the
little lass wanted to help the union to
win it's fight for better conditions
Her Fare Was Frugal.
She knew that her fare was frugal,
and that her home lacked many of
the comforts that should have OBJ
tanned these; she wnew that her peo-
pie were overworked, underpaid and
insufficiently fed, and because she
knew the union had a remedy for
all of these evils she did what she
ing to persuade strike breakers to
line up with their fellow workers and
help them in their battle for higher
wages, more food, brighter homes and
better conditions
Like Common Criminal
And for doing this, stalwart crea-
lures in the forms of men seized her
and dragged her to Jail like a COM
mon criminal, and locked her in a
cell. To her the Jail was a place of
torment, and the cell as great a hor-
ror as the "Black Hole of Calcutta
confined in it's, to her, terrible envir-
onments, sobbing as if her heart
would break and crying for mother.
And this despite the fact that the
law governing juveniles provides that
they shall not be detained in any Jail
or station house without an imme-
, date trial.
Other Children Also.
On the same day, three other
children, one Of them a trembling
mite of a boy, were dragged to jat
and confinedin a cell for the same
terrible offense committed against so.
ciety by the little lass. Stern anc
stalwart officers of the law had made
an onslaught on the innocents on the
demand of the employers and strike
! breakers, while citizens looked on il
| horror and amazement and asked
| each other the question:: ''Have tn,
employers grown so desperate tina
they are warning on infants?''
Enormity of Their Crime.
Later, the little lass and her thre,
childish companions stood weepins
and trembling in court, and listened
to a dignified judge as he sternl,
rebuked them and tried to impress
i upon them the enormity of thei
crime. He told them If they daret
! to repeat the -offense, in other word!
If they dared again to try and assis
! their fathers, mothers, sisters and
brothers in their struggle for justice
he would send them to the reform
school. He then set them at libert,
and they were permitted to return t.
their anxious and outraged kinfolk.
Courage of Strikers.
The button workers of Muscatin
are displaying a spirit Of determine
ton and self sacrifice that has gaine'
the admiration of their fellow toiler
all over the land. Daily, men an
women and youths and misses ar
bounced upon by representative
of the law and dragged to Jail. Thug
and strong arm men assault Their
with impunity and the misrepreser
tatives of the law are blind. But tn
factories are not producing and wi
not until the just demands of tn
workers are conceded.
Labor to the Rescue.
A commissary has been established
car loads of provisions. are being sen
into the city and the toilers of tn
land will see to 1t that their broth
ers and sisters in Muscatine are sur
piled with the necessaries of life