Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-10-16


t;ons made any appeal or demand Tor
atonement for the death OF the
American soldiers treacherously slain
Nv Carranza's troops. They did moth
ine about the killing Of Boyd and Adalr
and their troopers. All that they ven
+,red To do was to ask that the
American soldiers who had been taken
rr;soners when their comrades were
sI.in he returned. That was the only
request that the joint committee OF
snnnliants for safety. composed OF
president Wilson and President Comp
&C yentured to demand of their mas
ter, Mr.. Carranza.
There is further fact which snouio
be considered by the working men VINO
are asked to support Carranza ny
Messrs. Wilson and Gompers on the
ground that he is the friend OF LABOR
I have before me copy OF a decree
issued by Carranza under date OF Au-
gust 1st, 1915. only six weeks ago. IL
has been furnished me by senator
Fall. This decree was Issued because
the employees of the electric plant ana
street railroads had struck for Mgner
wages. General Carranza had ordereo
that they should accept one peso OF
paper money, that is, ten cents silver,
as their daily wage. This they refused
to do. and struck. Thereupon Cen
eral CarranZa issued a decree; and re-
member that General Carranza's gov
eminent is a purely military govern
ment, where neither judges nor leglsla-
tors have power to interfere In any
way with what is done by General
Carranza and the military authorities
who do his bidding. The decree runs
in part as follows: 1.-THE military au-
thorities not long ago advised the Ia
boring classes that they would not al
low the creation of a tyranny so harm
full to the welfare of the Mexican Re-
public as the tyranny of labor. Not
withstanding this the strike of the en-
ployees of the electric light company
and of others allied to it is palpable
demonstration that the workmen have
not wished to be persuaded that they
form only small part of society. The
suspension of work becomes illegal the
moment that the strike not only serves
to bring pressure on capital, but also
! harms society in direct or indirect
manner, as is the case with the present
| strike. The conduct of the labor
union in the present case must be con-
sidered as anti-patriotic and criminal,
and constitutes without doubt an at
tack on the public peace. In view OF
the foregoing | have decreed the fol-
lowing as an addition to the existing
! code: Besides the disturbers of the
public peace punishable by death as
heretofore described the death penalty
will also be imposed on the following:
,h0 irci
of work in factories or enterprises des-
! tined to public service or who preside
over meetings in which it is proposed
to discuss or approve such strike,
those who may defend or sustain the
same, or who assist in these meetings,
and those who endeavor to make the
strike effective upon being declared,
and those who by threats or force pre-
vent others from rendering their ser
vices to the companies OF enterprises
against which the strike is declared.
In short words, this decree is that in
asmuch as Mr.. CarranZa disapproves
of the strike ordered by a certain labor
organization, anyone who strikes, or
who attends a strikers meeting, or
who gives assistance or aid to the
strikers, shall suffer the death penalty
courtmartial and Immediately shot.
This decree was issued on August LIST
last. Yet Mr.. Gompers asks the sup
port of the laboring men of the
United States for Mr.. Wilson on the
ground that he is the sponsor of the
military tyrant who issued this decree.
1t is now announced in the press that
Mr. Gompers is negotiating with Mr..
y Nd 70 him, 10 y
draw the decree. If so it will only be
until after election. But let all Ameri-
can citizens think deeply before they
retain in power an Administration
which tolerates such an international
alliance as that between Messrs. Will
! son, Gompers and Carranza, and such
management of it's foreign affairs as
Mr.. Gompers is carrying on with the
| countenance, and in the interest, of Mr..
/ Wilson.
! The welfare of the laboring man and
! the welfare of the farmer taken to-
gether represent the foundation of the
national welfare. l have always con-
scientiously endeavored to do, every
thing in my power for the wage work.
er who worked with his hands and for
the farmer. l will do everything that
I
except anything that is wrong, and that
will do for no man. l speak out of
my deepest convictions and as con-
scientiously as it is in my power to
speak when l say to you that believe
that Mr.. Wilson's action in connection
with the Adamson bill is deeply preiu-
dicial to the real and permanent in
terests of the laboring man. | say to
you with deepest conviction that if YOU
yourself will look back you will find
that on the average, the wageworker
has prospered more when this country
has been under a protective tariff than
when the protective tariff has been so
low as not to give protection to our
immense and varied industries: and
above all, to the men working in those
industries. AS you know, l have al
ways stood for the tariff only to the
degree in which the benefit was rea-
sonably shared between the men in the
front office and the men, who receive
the pay envelopes. l stand for that
division now. But there must he
something to divide, or nobody will get
anything.
ask you to look back only two short
years. Mr.. Wilson was inaueurated
as President three years ago last
spring. He and his party immediately