New-York tribune., 1912-03-11
rRy Telegraph to The Tribune

/
with which an American city Of nearly
one hundred thousand inhabitants may
be seized by gang OF outside agitators
and kept in terror for weeks is well Illus
trated in what actually happened In
Lawrence during the last two months.
In spite of local police, in spite Of the
state militia, in spite of the efforts o:
the business men and the w-abidinK
citizens generally, who are and were in
decided majority, this Massachusetts,
city was for many weeks like a city
held by an enemy which had broken
down the defences and was ericamped in
! the streets OF the city. 1t was like
city In the grip Of foreign enemy that
was able TO receive and did receive any
amount Of aid and comfort from the fell
| low countrymen of the law-abiding citi-
zens of Lawrence, while the law abiding
citizens and the police and militia sum-
moned to aid them received nothing
from their fellow countrymen but
great amount of undeserved criticism.
The great strike that started on Janu.
ary - began as a violent and destruc
tive strike. 1t grew more violent and
destructive every day of it's existence
until, after It had been going more than
two weeks, when a greatly enlarged
force of militia, infantry and mounted
men brought the force of law and order
into such prominence that il was abli
10 overawe the force Of disorder and law
| lessness that was being used boldly, de-
family.
Leaders Came from Outside.
The leaders of this strike came from
outside of Lawrence. They were not
mill workers, and knew nothing of
actual working conditions in the mills.
They were, and presumably are, mem
bers of the Industrial Workers of the
World. This society does not disguise
its purposes or the methods il approves
in bringing to pass conditions Of affairs
which it believes desirable. II breaches
that force is justifable in labor wars and
that such force may be carried to any
extent TO carry a strike to success.
II proclaims that il aims to abolish
the wage system and inaugurate reams
where the worker will take possession oi
the machinery of production and receiv,
all the profits to he made out Of the
manufacture or sale of any article.
With such principles it is plain that no
agreements to be entered into by it with
an employer could be for any length Of
time, for 1t does not believe in toleratins
the employer for one instant longer than
the time it takes to appropriate him.
The leaders of this society came q
Lawrence when this violent strike was
three days old. They, in the course OF
week, organized and formed into men,
bers of the Industrial Workers of the
World about nine thousand Of the IN
skilled mill workers who went out on
this strike or were forced out by strikers
who threatened to Kill them If they did
not go out.
Vast Majority Are Foreigners.
Fully nineteen twentieths OF this sud.
den increase in the membership of th,
Industrial Workers of the World i'm Law.
renee was made up Of Italians, Poles
Lithuanians, Syrians Franco Belgiani
and Portuguese, the most Of whom had
been I'm America less than three years
They were only imperfectly acquainted
with the English language. A large per.
centage Of them could not read or write
even in their own language.
They received low wages, much lowe,
than the average wage of the mills. The
mill owners will tell you that they re.
eeived as much as they were worth, being
unskilIed, and the work they were callec
on recurring so little skill that boys six.
teen years old could easily do the work
that many of these grown men were do.
ina and had begged for the chance to dc
at less wages than boys were receiving.
The mill owners may be right aboul
their being worth no more. but they
made great moral, II not business
mistake In employing so many thousands
Of these nom English speaking men al
these wages. For with the constantly
rising cost Of ofliving, even these people
as they are to live much
more cheaply than people born in this
country, also felt the pinch OF low
fixed daily income trying to stretch u
cover a rising cost of the necessities OF
ife
Considering these circumstances, tnes'
thousands of persons from Southeastern
Europe, ignorant for the most part Of
even the rudiments of their own writer
language, ignorant Of the real spirit ol
America and smarting from sense oi
wrong felt at cutting two hours pay OF
IN already low weekly wage scale,
hing the manufacturers thought they
we're justified in doing because the STATE
Legislature had decreed that the miii
could not operate more than hfty-foui
hours a week, made splendid held foi
he firebrand type of agitators.
They worked skilfully and assiduousiy
less than a week after the strike besar
hey had nine thousand new members OF
he Industrial Workers of the Wcrld or
yanized into branches, representative o.
he various nationalities.
Thought They Would Own City.
BY means of representatives OF eaci
nationality they lndoctrinated this heter