The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-03-04

was out of the city;s but in the build
ing were many union members at
work whose lives were endangered
by the explosion Z
8 Labor unions are not in the
habit of blowing up the buildings
Of persons that do. not like them.
4. Even if they we're in this habit
conditions we're such in Los Angeles
that any act of violence by the unions
or by union menz-would have been
mere insanity. T.
8. The best detective Skill in the
country, backed by.unlimited means,
spurred cn by--eyery inducement.
failed to show ,theEslightest :connec-
ton between the. unions. and the ex.
plosion. :. IL;
g.: All of these facts constituted
good news. They were consistently
suppressed by al! but Eone of the news
papers, of Los. Angeles, at the com
nand Of the Merchants and Manu-
1acturers' associations.
:. H.: The coroner $ fury got to work
and all of the testimony it took
showed that the explosion was Of
Illuminating gas and accidental:
Suddenly it's labor4ceased and three
months after the explosion it has
rendered no verdicts:s 8:
The Special aInquisitors.
: A grand jury, specially chosen, was
sworn in to investigate the explosion
Before it appeared as a special pro-
cesuting officer the attorney of the
owner of the Times. Labor. men were
dragged before tt and examined in
the manner of the inquisition. Some
were brought from San francisco and
kept for days under arrest A San
Francisco woman: keeper of a lodg-
ing house, "; as first threatened and
then cajoled in" an n**attempt to ex-
tract from her something damaging
to somebody CONNECTED with some
union. j. -,
For days before the. explosion the
Times office was filled with escaping
gas to such an extent that men were
made i'll by it. Workmen. that came
to repair the telephone system: re-
ported that it was impossible to work
in the place because Of the gas.
Eighteen of the persons that We're in
the building at the time of the disas-
ter and escaped. alive were of the
opinion that the explosion was of
gas. Experts in the use of explosives
were of the same opinion. All of
the physical aspects of. the explosion
were against the dynamite theory
None Of these facts received the
slightest weight from the Los Angeles
press, muzzled- and led around by the
Merchants and Manufacturers as
sociation.
A telegraph operator in the build
ing that testified about the escaping
gas was discharged and is now said
to be black listed. 1t is generally
understood in Los Angeles that to talk
much about gas as the cause of the
explosion is not wholesome. At the
beginning of the affair the Merchants
and Manufacturers association noti-
fled the newspapers to say as little
as possible about the explosion and
judge from the bench ordered them
not to print anything about the spe-
cial grand jury.
Government on the Cossack theory
In d typical American community"
Question of Dynamite.
1t may be suggested here that am
overlooking the dynamite found at
the houses of General Otis and of
the secretary of the Merchants and
Manufacturers association and that
these discoveries proved the guilt Of
the unions.
do not overlook anything of the
kind. But please note:
1. The explosion in the Times Of
flee. occurred at o'clock in the morn
ing. The dynamite was "discovered'
at General Otis at 1890 in the morn
ing Nine hours and half had
elapsed.
2. The dynamite was "discovered"
by a discredited city detective, a