The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1915-07-22

yer to grant a new trial to John R.
Lawson, the labor leader who is on
trial for his life in Colorado, may con-
vince people who have never lived in
Colorado that there is a Just case
against Lawson, but not to any one
who has residence in that state and
kept posted on matters political and
economic. This unfortunate state is
notoriousiy rotten and its civil Of
hcers the most hagrant lick-spitters
of monopolistic welth inside the bor-
ders of the United States. The legis-
latures. governors and courts for the
last dozen years, and many times be-
fore, have been the plant tools OF
any part of the New York 'Plunder-
bund machine in the latter's efforts to
gobble up the stupendous natural
wealth of Colorado thru the disgust
ing credulity of the great mass OF
Colorado's citizenship iii supporting
the plutocratic position of its dis
honest partisan politicians who have
been able to gain admittance to the
halls of state legislative and execu-
tive power. Colorado is fast sinking
into the cellar position in political
morality and its voting population are
the contempt of this country's COM
monwealths. Anything that the
Rockefellers want can be pulled off in
that shearing ground for human
sheep. With natural mineral wealth
second to none in the United States
with thousands of acres of good ar
able land under cultivation, with a
splendid climate and numerous other
great natural resources Colorado has
always been on the verge of bank
ruptcy. all thru tn indifference, pre-
judice and silly credulity of its citizen
ship, who read open-mouthed and
gulp down the vaporiflgs of as low
a class of editors as ever were al
lowed to print the news.
| do not think there is much hope
for Lawson unless there is tremend-
Gus pressure from the outside by or
ganized labor from one end of the
country to the other and believe that
monopolists have determined TO make
an example of Lawson for its out
side effect. Labor should demand a
new trial for Lawson, who is the vic
tim of as black a conspiracy as was
ever hatched in the secret chambers
of this nations enemies.
-
Whenever a non-union man or la
Dor hater makes the statement that
organized labor has not been the
means of bettering the condition OF
the laboring man, you can ask him by
way of reply for the reason the mono
polistie crowd who Cypress labor are
so bitterly opposed to organization.
Whenever they state that they recog-
nize labor's right to organize you can
ask them why they are always trying
to prevent it.
1t is only the unsophisticated who
live in out of the way places where
there are no large industries, or the
men who fear organized labor's in
creasing power, who make the state
ment
| have been over a very large part
of the United States east of the Rocky
Mountains, have been in the coal
fields and large industrial centers and
have yet TO see the mining, industrial
or manufacturing center that was un.
organized anywhere near the organ.
lied labor field in either efheieny OF
living conditions. The employing
class as a whole only pay a living
wage when they are forced to. W.
have once in while an employer o.
the Henry Ford type, and they viii
grow larger as Ford's example take:
root, but until they do labor will Sc
cure its rights by fighting for then
and the fighting will mean man,
sacrifices. Every one who has livet
and studied economic conditions il
this country knows that every stel
made by labor upward has been mad
at a great sacrifice and they nees
expect nothing else.
And labor will obtain its ultimati
goal through activity in politics be
cause the fundamental questions 0
land monopoly. transportation, AM
direct legislation overshadow tn
mere matter of organization for in tn
end bad economic conditions witt
corrupt officials who lean towar'
capitalistic pretensions can Away
obstruct and defeat needed labor leg
islation. But organization is a splen
did means of educating the working
class into the proper study Of politi
cal conditions.
*&%
The Seamen's Bill is going to b
attacked by one of the strongest lob
bies that has ever organized TO re
peal a just measure, and labor shout
be up and doing. Organizations Q
business men, credit mems associa
tions, manufacturers and almost tn
entire subsidized press Of the countr
IS busy printing resolutions, appeal
and editorials for the repeal Of thi
measure at the next session of Con
gress. OF course any one who ca
do the least bit Of thinking canno
possibly take any Of the argument
seriously. The talk that the bill !
make impossible wage slavery on tn