The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-07-29
WHY LAb0R|S
OPPOSED TO GUARD
Used As Police Force In Check
. ing Strikes In Many In
stances Says Borah.
DECLARES MEN HAVE
RIGHT TO QUIT WORK
Workers Who Enlist Called Out
to Fight Against Fellow
Employees.

WASHINGTON, July 27.-"so long
as the national guard or the state
militia can be utilized and so long as
it is more and more used for strike
purposes, and as the police force of
the state, it stands to reason that no
considerable portion, in fact, a very
small portion, Of the laboring men
support. They will not join an organ
ization which may the next day be
called: into service against either
themselves or their fellow workmen.' ''
This forceful statement of the rea-
son for the stand taken by organized
labor against the state militia was
made before the United States senate
by Senator William E. Borah, Idaho,
in a speech against a proposed bill to
increase appropriations -, for the. ma
tional guard
Don't Want Lawlessness.
1.-THE great body of laboring men OF
this country" said Borah, ''are COM
mitted to no such doctrine as that of
accomplishing their designs and pur-
poses through lawless methods. One
thing the laboring men contends he
has a. right to do, and which I pre-
sumo no one in this country would
deny him the right to do, and that is
to strike, to quit work.
1.-THE difficulty has been, and the
experience we have had in many
states is, that those in power do not
wait until there is such actual demon
stration of lawlessness as to necessi-
tate calling out the state militia; it
has come to be the practice-and it
is growing more and more each year
that Immediately on a strike being
called a military force, so near at
IN h4 fo
called in for the assumed purpose of
maintaining law and order; and time
and again the lawlessness began when
the military force was called into &C.
ton.
Have Right to Strike.
"Now, would be far from defend
ing lawlessness, but maintain labor
ers have right to quit work. And,
m borrower, L. contend that If they be
guilty or laWtessne nesss. they are to be
tried and acquitted or:.cuHvicted: acs
cording to the established law of the
land and in the common law courts. OF
the country, and not by improvised
court-martfal tribunals. 1t is not a
question of lawlessness against which
We are all arrayed, but a question Of
whether, If lawlessness does occur, the
guilty ones shall be proceeded against
according to the spirit of our institu-
tions or the spirit Of military despot-
| ism.
II called attention the other day tc
the tendency in this country during
the last 10 or Is years to call into
service on the slightest excuse the
state militia or the national guard
in strike matters, matters which gen.
orally have been heretofore settled
without the interference of military
authority.
Cites One Instance.
II am familiar with one instance in
which the state militia was called
into action, wherein it was found af-
ter they were called that the cap
tains and lietenants and colonels and
officers of the guard were practically
all on the pay roll and in the employ
of the companies against which the
strike was proceeding.
1T transpired in that instance that
state militia was part of the employ.
naent and a part of the pay roll Of the
Fcorporations against which the labor
ing men were making their conten-
tiCn. It resulted in one Of the most
disgraceful episodes that has charac-
terized this entire matter from the be-
ginning. It naturally followed that it
would be so, because those who were
interested financially, with their pref
udfces and their interests aroused,
were the parties who, under military
organization and military authority,
had the right to act as otherwise
CnDA4...S ~ n.-. q