The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-10-22
FORCE INVESTIGATION OF
OUTRAGES
BY ]. l. EnqdahI


cago city council. Before this war
is over it is hoped to end the rule of
the polcemen's gun and club in all
industrial struggles in all the cities of
the nation.
With one boy dead, many men,
women and girls injured, and 400 un-
justifiable arrests having been made
during the garment workers strike,
the Chicago Socialist aldermen met
with little opposition in their demand
for thorough probe of police brutal
ity.
The resolution demanding the In
vestigation of why Chicago workers
must face a Russian reign of terror
every time they strike for little
more bread and butter was introduced
by Socialist Alderman William e.
Rodriguez, of the Fifteenth Ward,
where many of the strikers live. Rod
riguez is also one of the lawyers fight
ing for the strikers in their court bat
ties for little justice in their strug-
gle against Chicago's big clothing
barons. He was supported by Social
ist Alderman John c. Kennedy, of the
Twenty Ward, who is mem
ber of the Committee on Schools, Fire,
Police and Civil Service, that will car
ry on the investigation.
For the first time in the history of
the nation a chief of police, his cap
tains and lieutenants will be called
upon to answer the question why the
entire police force, mounted and on
foot supported by motorcycle squads,
has been modified and turned loose
on the 10000 strikers, large number
of whom are mere girls.
FORGOT eLOODLESS STRIKE
Although Chicago's bloodless street
car strike came to an end only few
months ago, largely because of the
brilliant work of the Socialist alder
men, the Chicago police department,
the most brutal in the land, supported
Dy d DlS UuSluCoo lNCpubliIoh obhiihih
traton, did not learn the lesson that
the workers are not responsible for
the riots that come with every strike.
In spite of the lesson of the street car
strike, the police started out with
their usual brutal, murderous methods
of handlinge labor struggles.
o1rnoHN hnpn d00 r.
rests" Rodiguez told the city council,
"Men, women and girls have been
beaten up, arrested and thrown into
filthy disease-breeding police dun
geons."
He said he could not blame the po-
licemen, who, he pointed out receiv-
ed their orders from those higher up
"The responsibility for this police
brutality rests on the head of the de-
partment and upon the present city
administration" declared Rodriguez.
"The actions of the police are directed
by the powers above them.
"The police force is being used in
the interests of one party to this great
labor struggle and we want to know
why this is So"
Alderman Kennedy urged all of the
old party aldermen to go out and in
vestigate the charges of police brutal
ity for themselves.
SOMETHING RADICALLY WRONG
There is something fundamentally
wrong in the manner in which police
handle strikes" he declared, after
citing several cases of brutality.
Kennedy told how the police in Lon
don helped maintain order at the
great mass meetings in Trafalgar
Square during the world-famous dock
ers' strike, instead of using all their
power to break up parades and mass
meetings of the revolving workers.
81 hope that the present policy of
the Chicago police department in han
ding strikes will be radically
changed" continued Kennedy. I'm
migrants from Russia and other coun-
tries come to this country to escape
the tyranny of depressing European
governments. We hold our Fourth OF
mlv celebrations to give them an idea
of the great and glorious rights OF
American citizenship. But as soon as
these immigrants engage in an indus
trial struggle for better working con-
ditions, increased wages and a shorter
workday, they become the victims OF
police brutality that causes them TO
form another opinion of the rights
of American citizenship than that re-