The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-01-02
Dynamite Outrage.

The trial of the forty labor leaders
harged with conspiracy in the dyna-
miting outrages came to an end last
week. Thirty eight of them were con-
victed and received their sentences on
Monday. Juege Andersen suspended
the sentences of five of the men. The
other thirty, three were given SEN
tences ranging from seven years to
one year and one day Imprisonment
Frank M. Ryan, president of the In
ternational Association of Bridge and
Structural Iron Workers, received the
heaviest sentence.
The dynamiting outrages began in
1906 following strike of the Interna-
tional Association against the bridge
companies of the United States and
continued until the arrest Of the Nc
Namara brothers and McManigal
in April 1911. During that time mil
lions of dollars worth of property was
destroyed and many lives lost. Every
peice of property destroyed was being
built by nounion labor.
The extent to which this conspiracy
to destroy property had grown is ap-
palling, So far forty men, prominent
in labor circles, have been convicted
and two others have confessed COM
plicity in the crimes. And among
these are practically every officer of
one of the large labor unions of the
country.
ORDINARILY in contest between la
bor and capital our sympathies are
with labor. In this instance, how
ever, no matter how unjust may have
been the treatment of labor" the
means used by it must be condemned
by every right thinking citizen. Two
wrongs do not make right and there
is never an excuse for murder and will
full destruction of property. The
methods used in this strike are more
injurious to organized labor than to
capital. If capital is to be compelled
to treat labor fairly, labor must have
the sympathy and good will of the
public. 1t must show the public that
it is being unfairly treated. The use
of dynamite, the instituting of reign
OF lawlessness will not bring about
such condition. Every lawless act
on the part of labor puts off the day
when "labor' will receive fair and just
treatment.
1t may be hard for men to bear i'll
treatment, see what they consider in.
justices heaped upon them, see their
families in want while other men live
in luxury as the result of their labors,
see their employees give large sums to
charity, ostentatiously, while they
will not pay living wagef, but we do not
think that riots, assaults, destruction
of property and murder will better the
condition of the oppressed. Peaceful
methods should be employed and will
in the end be most effective.
Capital should not however become
more arrogant and oppressive on &C
count of its victory in the dynamite
cases. 1t should also learn a lesson.
1t should be impressed with the fact
that men will only stand so much be-
fore they resort to violence; that
fair treatment of their employees is
the best policy: that money secured
by oppression of the weak and help ess
is sured at an awful price; that every
man who labors honestly is entitled to
an honest, living wage. If capital
does not want socialism to triumph ii
must be willing that fair division OF
the profits be made between capital
and labor"
The dynamite outrage should teach q
lesson to both capital and labor.