The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1914-09-05
THE GENER STRIKE
rom the Wheeling Majority.


| The General Strike is an industrial
messiah in the minds Of the emotional
itreligious. Always <has oppressed
mankind sought short cut to its
| ideal. But always has there been dis
appointment. for there is no short
cut. Columbus: seeking the short cut
TO India, found stormy sea and a
| mountainous continent to cross. The
early Christians found. instead of the
| cherished short cut, a dreary life or
painful death of martyrdom. The
/ ninety million slaves of Rome saw
! finally their promised land kept from
them by a sea of their crimson blood.
! Never has there been a short and
, easy way.
When machinery came to do the
work Of England, the workers
| thought the easy way was to destroy
them. And they lost. When ma
chimes came to America, the workers
thought the easy way was to ignor
them. and they lost. The nard wav
In England and America would have
been to own them. The hard way
would have won. But natural inertia.
keeps us back from doing only what
we find we are compelled at last to
do.
The easy way just now seems to be
the General Strike" Since we know
that the wealth of the world flows
only from the work of the world. We
nave put to stop the work, and all is
over but the shouting. Since this can
% accomplished by the workers act
ing In unison, and since they are kept
divided by their MISUNDERSTANDING
ana no organization, We but have to
have "One Big Union" {.
1t Is so simple Just like Coiumb,,s:
knowing that the world was round
knew that by sailing west he womb
come east again. Just like the Roman
slaves who knew that they were the
strength Of Rome and had hut to
turn against their creature 10 DESTROY
liz Just like the English factorv
workers who knew that If they tore
inc machine apart it could not do
their work. Just like the American
workers who knew that If they but
Kept the secrets of their trade those
tnlngs OF steel and steam could never
learn them. But continents and cen.
turtles stood between Columbus and his
goal, other ignorant millions he,ned
rome crush their brothers, scrapped
machinery was reassembled. and the
ignored machine steadily and stealth.
NY aped more. and moro the handi-
work Of man.. until today the workers
nave been driven to the desperate
expedient Of asking laws to protect
'nem from the hopeless competition
or the most perfect product of the IN
tirins' accomplishing. unceasinr ma.
NOW come the advocates Of the PAN
era1 strike and tell us to: learn all
these Lessons over again: They tell
us that all we have to do to brinr
about the revolution is to revo1;1ta
The facts of history, Being 1iscon.
certinE to their PLANS they jsi111p1v
sweep aside. It saves them the iron.
bic of thinking.
NOW. a general strike can hardfv
Pc, except under conditions .whera -
would not be necessary. To be xuc-
cess1ul, 1T must be accompanied bv !
solidarity of the workers, and when
once the workers have their solid
ar1ty. they will have attained their end
all and more than a general strike
could gain.
~ Fhe easiest thing in all this wor,d
OF work Is talk. The general strike
advocates but talk. They are not tho
men who have toiled for years in tho
oiscouraelng and oftentimes heart