The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-18
CRADLE Of LIBERTY
NEEDS REPAIRING
TWO Views Given as to Why Chill
dren Arc Being Shipped Out of
Strike Ridden Town of
Lawrence.
PUT A STOP TO IT
Commander Of Militia There Says it
is Merely Grand Stand Play
to Collect
Money.
PUT A STOP TO IT

UNITED Press Leased Wire service.l
LAWRENCE, Mass, Feb. 17.-De-
claring the great influence of the
wool trust has been used to poison the
minds of the public against the
striking mill operatives who have
been forced to send their children to
other cities rather than have them
starve here VIM Yates, chairman
of the strikers executive committee,
denounced the action of Col Leroy
Sweetser, commanding the militia
here, in forbidding the sending of
more children away from Lawrence.
'It may seem a broad statement to
make said Chairman Yates, but
nevertheless it is true that the parent
wool trust which was able to get a
! protective tariff they wanted has
again been brought into play in prac-
| tically gagging and binding, hand and
| foot, the press of Massachusetts.
| This textile trust has been able to SO
distort facts as to reflect nothing but
.discredit on these poor helpless for
eigners whom It imported here to
4
premely ironical when it is realized
that all this is occurring in Massa
chusetts, sometimes called the Cradle
1 of Liberty
\ NO child has been sent from Law
renee without the full consent of its
!, parents In fact, when the suggestion
: was first made, the parents though
they knew heartaches would ensue,
begged that their little ones be sent
away from this place where they have
known hunger many times in the last
six weeks
"As to Col. Sweetsers constitutions
al right to forbid us to send away our
children. | am certain, but Will in
vestigate the matter. A committee
also will be appointed Immediately to
investigate the case. We are not
afraid of the civil or military author
tiles 1t seems to me that Col. Sweet
ser is acting on the suggestion of some
one who is not in sympathy with
the strikers The children were sent
, away from here to places where they
, can be properly cared for. In New
/ York City the assistant superintend-
! ent of schools investigated the places
where the children had been sent
i and with one exception the conditions
were very good"
, Colonel Sweetser answered Chair
man Yates charges as follows:
"This morning the strike leaders
], collected about 100 little children,
e many of them under five years of age,
n and put them into car to ship them
!. to New York and other cities to be
r exploited through the country like a
T lot of animals and for the purpose of
g obtaining money and for no other
8 reason, as this question was discussed
{ in their meetings. | say strike lead
:, ers these leaders that are not on
l. strike themselves, they do not live
= here in Lawrence or even in the state
and never worked in the mills.
"It was a most inhuman and un-
y natural act and | do not believe from
!, nv experience here that parents of
!. these children want this done, or that
/. they gave their consent freely TO be-
q ing separated from their children.
# have reports that in some cases they
If were intimidated into letting their
children go, and some of these little
A. ones are not children of strikers.
q. am not going to stand idly by and al
" low this to continue, unless | am or
e. -dered to do SO by higher authority.
n. "I have notified Mr.. Yates by let
ter and through him the strike com
d mittee that l will not permit the
ID sending of little children away for
any such purpose without the consent
i'd of their parents"