Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-04
Lawrence Peaceful Until They
Came, Says Strike Leader.
WORSE THAN COSSACKS
Saw Children Clubbei and Beaten
by Police and Militiamen.
G0MPERS DELIVERS ADDRESS
Appears in Support of Resolution for
an Inquiry-Accused by
Labor Men.


| The consideration of circumstances at
| Lawrence, Mass, where the strike or
| textile workers has caused serious con-
| liicts. was resumed before the House
| committee on rules today with the COM
| mittee of strikers from Lawrence present.
| At the outset Chairman Henry announced
| that no one but members of the COM
| mittee would be permitted TO ask ques-
| tions, and cautioned the strikers To re-
| frain from any demonstrations such as
| characterized the hearing Saturday.
After the rules committee hearing had
| adjourned for luncheon and President
! Gompers of the American Federation of
Labor was leaving the building two un-
known labor men engaged him i'm argu-
ment, charging that he had not treated
the Industrial Workers of the World
| fairly in his argument before the com
! mittee 4 crowd surrounded them and
the argument became quite heated. sew
| eral congressman interfering and ending
the dispute. The men VINO approached
Gompers would not tell him VINO they
were
Representative Wilson of Pennsylrania
| submitted letter from the secretary OF
Gov. of Massachusetts. in reply to re-
quest for Information as to the exact con-
ditions at Lawrence. The secretary, Dud-
| ley Holman, sad that actual conditions
had been greatly exaggerated. The police.
he said. were not biased and were acting
! in the best interests or the chuaren who
were sent away from Lawrence. The
strike committee was warned not to let
children be taken away without consent
of parents, and because some were taken
| without this consent the police inter-
| ferred.
THE police did not use their clubs Oh
the women and cniluren, put simply
brushed tnem to one slde, The letter saiu.
| 1t further stated tnat troops were sent 10
preserve order. me governor, through
mis- secretary, stated further that ne
would not allow the troops to remain In
| Lawrence much longer IN order TO exploit
| conditions.
Lectured by Chairman Henry.
| Following the reading of this letter
| Chairman Henry reiterated his announce
+, ment demanding order.
''Unseemly things occurred here SafuT-
day and the room will be c,eared il they
| occur again.
Representative Berger objected to not
being allowed to question the witnesses.
but the committee overruled him. and
promised to ask all the questions he want
ed, principally of the children.
! Samuel LipSom of the strike COMMITTEES
| was recalled to the stand, and in response
| to questions from Representative ro'i
said that most o. Nhe workers in the mills
We're unorganized when the strike began.
| When did the trouble sIart?' was
| asked.
| 1T started the first day when the police
came down to drive the people away from
| the mills said Lipsom.
rbot phn,,t fho frfk fho
ducton in hours?'
mo, we had had previous meetings to
| plan how we could exist on what We
earned, but the reduction in hours forced
| the strike
Too Poor to Become Naturalized.
Are you a citizen of the United
States?'
Il had my first papers. but never had
money enough to take out second papers.
Instead of paying 81 for papers l had to
buy shoes for my little ones
| Representative Hardwick of Georgia
asked what was the purpose of sending
children away from Lawrence.
Was it to send away the children for
their own good. or to arouse sympathy
throughout the country he asked.
| 1T was to care for them, to keep them
from the dangers OF the strike" said
Lipsom.
Didn't you try to send some TO Phla-
delphia to take part i'm a mass meeting?"
1T wasn't a mass meeting, said Lip.
SON. There was to he parade from
! the depot to where the children were to
| get something to eat. When THE people
| in Philadelphia heard we were sending
children to New York. they asked US TO
| send some To Philadelphia"
DO you know some of these children
were sent away without proper pro-
| vision?''
Threatened by Policeman.
''As far as know policemen went from
| house to house threatening the parents
| if they did not get their children back.
| The parents came to us and asked what
| they should do"
"When the police ordered the children
| back from New York were there any
| arrests on the ground that the consent
had not been granted"
No said Lipsom.
Two hundred children were sent to
| New York when the strike committees
| planned to send hundred more TO
| Philadelphia Lipsom said the commit
tee was to pay the railroad fare.
I'VE bought forty half tickets and ten
adult tickets" lie said.
"Why did you buy only fifty tickets
when YOU planned to send hundrcd?"
because the police came down and
prevented lots of the parents from get
| ting 10 the depot. Lipsom declared.
| Forty of the children did get through.
! WAS the city under martial law at
the time?"
| "Worse Than Russian Cossacks."
"They used methods that We're like
martial law" said Ipsom. when we
tried to get the children to the train the
polices pushed the women and children
with clubs. They acted worse than Rus
sian Cossacks in times of revolution.
mo Russian Cossack would dare touch
q child Things were so terrible that We
decided to appeal to our ambassadors at
Washington for protection.
1--WE decided to find out IL we could
IL Lawrence was in Massachusetts and
IL Massachusetts was in the United
States
lhen most of you are foreigners and
Won decided to appeal to foreign gov
ernment rather than to the United States
for protection?" asked Representative
Hard wick.
Saw Soldiers Beat Children.
"If necessary Conditions were aw-
full. These soldiers there beat the
children have seen them knock
down children on the streets" said
Lipsom.
Representative Hardwick asked Lip