The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-08-31
STRIKE RESULT OF LABOR LAW.
Trouble Th"u Fostcrcd by Men From
industrial Workers.

The great La vrenc" strike with it,
attendant t!oodshe1. killings. suffering
and dynamiting scandals. was precipi-
tat"d in January last largely b; the opera
tion of a now labor Law enacted in 1911
and the action of professional labor agta-
tors in stirring up tn" mill workers of the
American Woolen Company mos, Of
whom We're fogeIEU born
Three years ago TIA. state Leg stature
enacted "a law minlng Il unlawful for
mill owner, 10 employ women aud chill
dren for more than hfiv-eight hour. a
week, and la;e' IN" WORKING day was cut
down io nliv-.,.. hDIr.. all employee,
continuing to be paid. hove ~, on a
ffty-eight hour basis
In 1911 the Legislature further cur
tailed the hours of WORK for women and
childreneto tifty-iour hours a week. and
this was satisfactory 10 all hands until
the first pay eli, rlopos were distributed
and they disco, .red hat they were being
paid on n iiity-four instead Of a tifty-six
hour basis as formerly
u his mean; "A cuj OF Twenty-Five cents a
week. Labor dguatpr- famed the flame
Of discomfort and in a short time the ey-
cited mill hands quit their jobs. ragged
through the streets and wroiked their
vengeance on their EMPLOYERS hy attack
1ng mills AMI smashing machinery More
than 3n.OOO We're inrol. sd in the strike.
There war no doubt that the public AT
first svmpai hized with the strikers. Who
werc generally helrrrd to he under
paid, and even the Governor of Massa-
chusetts tried TO induce the mill owners
10 make settlement, Ii seemed for a
time that he would succeed IN having the
difficulties adjusted until there came to
town Joseph }. Ettor. general organizer
OF the Industrial Workers of The World
an organization which had been de-
nounced by the president of the United
Textile Workers of America Fttor soon
became the leader of the striking mill
workers. very few of whom were af-
1iliated with labor unions
He insisted on an advance of IL per
cent. IN wages over the tifty-six hour
schedule and violence in rea-ed 10 such
an extent that ii was necessary for Mayor
Scanlon to call on Gov f'Oss for the nilitia
During the roiting which followed Anna
Iapizzo an Italian woman. was killed
by a stray bullet and John RaInl. a Syrian
boy, was stabbed with a bayonet He
died from the wound,
While the disorders were at their
height, there was intense suffering among
the strikers and their families and many
children were brought 10 This city where
aIry Nti' 'hif'i "" llltll lUt uDlt was
over
To add TO lie excitement, dynamite
fuse and caps were found in a house in
The Syrian mill workers colony and eleven
suspects were arrested, Other plants
were found, but those accused of knowing
about the dynamite were able 10 convince
the au' horities that they had nothing
10 do with H.
There was a long investigation into
The charge that the dynamite had been
planted for the purpose of making
things look bad for The strikers, and on
Tuesday last when District Attorney
Pelletier announced that the Grand Jury
would probe into the matter, Ernest W
Pitnam, "A mill constructor Of Andover.
who had coutided To Pellcticr guilty
knowledge Of the planting" of the dyna-
mite. committed suicide. Pitnam's con
fession was rorroboraled by John j
Breen. whose testimony resulted in the
indictment Of others.
Congress iust March investigated the
charge That IA" police and militia had
Srutally ~ i'"'l"d he strikers. of Lawrence
Rnd their families and Also the complaint,
chat the authorities had tried la prevent
fathers ana mothers from sending their
children out Of town until tho trouble was
aver, General denials were made.