United labor bulletin., 1913-01-02
CRUELTIES IN SOCIAL ERA
ONE CAUSE FOR VIOLENCE
Continued from page ~

or / would have run. He made for an
old barn for safety, and reached it just
as the dogs were overtaking him. There
was ladder leading to a loft. If only
he could reach it! But the ill-fed, ex-
hausted man had not the strength to
climb to safety, and before the keepers
of the dogs could reach him, he was torn
by the hounds beyond all semblance of
a human being.
In my study of the psychology of our
vast army of migratory and otherwise
out-of-work men and poorly paid work
ers, / found, underneath the gaiety of
drink, the joke, the song, and the mirth-
full story, a morose and revengeful spirit
"a compelling desire to exact satisfac-
tfon, a malignant waiting for revenge.
Nearly three years ago, in the very
shadow of the Los Angeles "Times"
building, l sat one evening in a crum-
bling, cheap lodging house, talking to
middle aged man of exceptional intelli-
gence 1t was too evident the world had
not dealt kindly with him. He seemed
desirous of talking only of what he was
pleased to call the privileges of an i'm
mune republic, and of the compulsion,
restraint and unfairness exercised by it
toward the serf class of this era. He
seemed to be of good habits and to lead
regular life. But / could see plainly
that he was filed with vindictiveness-
desire to return evil for evil. Sci
ence," he said, lis coming greatly to the
aid of the revolutionist." He spoke of
| fire-ball that would shoulder ten days
and then burst into flame. 1t could be
set, he said, throughout a whole city,
and the result can be imagined. argued
with him; pleaded for evolution in re-
form instead of revolution; pointed out
the fallacy of regarding the taking of
brp fo ha
erty as a means of righting wrongs. 1t
was useless. l left him with no change
of heart. All through our conversation
felt convinced that he had personal
wrong which was responsible for this
desire of retaliation. AS l left him
said, Forget what you may feel is an
injustice He answered in an infiexible
tone, do you think memory can die in
man?"
While 1 have fought consistently for
those who toll, l am non-partisan, non
conformist-and while at times my heart
has burned within me as l have seen re-
vealed the suffering of the helpless
workers or the penniless man out OF
work, / write with consideration for all
and malice toward no class. If we pause
for a moment and look, how clearly we
can see one important remedy for the
violent criminal ills of society today.
|
| ing of our brutal and destructive system
of trying by abuse to make men better,
to the healthy constructive method of
| leading and guidance. In broader
sense, we must introduce what we de-
mand of the evil doer, by setting him an
example in its doing. The dynamiter
may be an irresponsible degenerate,
made so indirectly if not directly by our
recognition and allowance of demoraliz-
- ND ntri1
TEN of corrections of limitless years.
The editor of the Portland Oregon
IAN once said to me-and many promi-
nent people have said this at various
times: "Our jails and penitentiaries are
too attractive nowadays and there should
be a more rigid discipline" Can we feel
that this is wise spirit and policy? Can
we quite agree with the Outlook in its
virtual divorce of the part of society
from this question when it says, the
question OF organized labor or organized
capital or of the relation of either to the
community at large, has nothing to do"
with the dynamite case before the pub
| lie in connection with the Los Angeles
Times? Can we, on the contrary, help
but see that the press and every organ
iZation of city, state or nation, who hold
the principles of public welfare at heart,
are yitally connected with this issue!
The dynamiter q am speaking absolute
ly of the confessors) committed an afro
cious act with which no honest working
man has sympathy. If it were not done
from degenerate and mercenary
prompting, was he prompted to do SO
from a long held thought of grievance
which, to his abnormal mind, made the
deed seem justifiable? Although we may
think he is absolutely wrong, can We
all of us-quite throw off our part OF
what we may consider an objectionable