Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-01-16

should drop a bolt in the turbines.
These, or indeed any effort, criminal
or otherwise, to ruin a machine or to
spoil it's product, would be classed as
sabotage. To be sure, many OF the
advocates OF sabotage disclaim any in
tention of personal injury. They seek
only the injury of property. The Nc
Namaras declared that they had no in
tention of destroying human life, but
the fact remains that in the attempt
to practice the methods of sabotage,
the McNamaras were led deeper and
deeper. in the ways of crime and VOL
ence.
! While sabotage issa new term, it de-
scribes method of warfare that has
been practiced by the oppressed in all
ages. Slaves were forced to practice
sabotage in some manner or other, as
that was their only means of retalia-
ton for any brutality of the master.
In those countries where men are not
allowed to strike against oppression,
sabotage is used as a method of war
fare. Where Workingmen are denied
all open and peaceable means OF
righting their wrongs, when their
strikes are doomed to failure by the
use of the courts and the armies, when
their protests are of NO avail. and all
their honorable efforts fail to bring
relief, sabotage will inevitably be re-
sorted to as the one most effec i've
weapon left to rebellious spirits. AS
assassination is almost the only weap-
on men have in countries without the
freedom to speak, to write, to assem-
BILE, or to vote, so sabotage is the only
weapon that workingmen have in a
country that denies them the right to
organize, to strike, and to pickle Like
insurrection-it is he last resoet. 1t
is right that cannot be denied. And
if it is not generally used by men TO-
day, it is solely because of their desire
to abide by open, humane and Legal
methods of warfare so long as those
methods are allowed them.
Sabotage is product of despair. It
is an acknowledg that working
class organization both political ana
economic, is a failure. Turning then
from organized and cooperative effort,
the advocates of sabotage believe That
minority OF desperate and determine
men can do by violence what the
open efforts of democracy have failed
to accomplish. Sabotage is return
to the individual methods of the anaT.
chists. Eugene v. Debs has well said:
"If l regarded the class struggle as
guerrilla warfare, would join the
anarchists and practice as well as
preach such tactics. I am opposed
to sabotage and, to direct action -.
The very nature of these tactics adapts
them to guerrilla warfare, to the bomb
planter, the midnight assassin. .
Such tactics appeal to stealth and sus-
picion, and cannot make for solidarity.
The vary teaching of sneaking and
surreptitious practices has demon
alizing effect and tendency to place
those who engage in them in the
ctegory of Black Hand agents. dyna-
miters, safe blowers, hold-up men,
burglars, thieves and pickpockets.
eff sabotage and direct action, as /
| interpret them, were incorporated in
| the tactics of the Socialist party, It
would at once be the signal for all
the agents proVovateurs and police
spies in the country to join the party
and get busy. Every solitary one of
them would be q rabid direct action
| ist', and every one would safely make
his getaway and secure his reward.
la Mcfarland, when anything was
pulled on by their dupes, leaving
them with their necks in the nooses.
seWfth the sanctioning Of sabotage
and similar practices, the Socialist
party would stand responsible for the
deed of every SPY or mailman, the
seeds of strife would be subtly soWn
| in the ranks, mutual suspicion would
| be aroused. and the party would soon
be torn into warning factions. to the