The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-11-17


stunted and often times brutalized
them, that then there should be on
their part acts of violence and resent
ment, but I give personal testimony
that the brutality of repression, the
absolute cruelty and wantonness OF
the police and gunmen in this second
recent big BayOnne strike was enough
to goad any set of men into acts of
violence. 1t is both pitiful and ter.
rible, that men and women who are
forbidden the right to organize to get
better wages and better living in an
orderly way, are Immediately clubbed
shot and terrorized when they try
through the only way which is per.
mitted to them, to better their condi-
ion in life.
"Such Polish and allied workers as
are on strike now in BayOnne are
normally Industrious, patient and
kindly. Their disposition is to get
american standards" of work and
wages, peacefully, and as a matter of
organized right. If some of the
younger persons among them, mostly
boys, do things to 'incite to riot, y
what is their blame compared to that
merited by officers of the law and by
privately employed detectives and
guards and gunner? These latter are
the incitors to riot and rebellion.
"Is it not a terrible indictment of
Standard Oil and irresponsible big
business of that type that after all its
dealings with labor it still has nothing
better to offer than the old cave man
idea of getting the better of weaker,
less cunning men and women and then
beating them over the head and shoot
ing them when they rebel against the
superior force and cunning? AS an
American, too, I'believe you will voice
a protest against the disposition to
use the term foreigner" as a term of
reproach, and to indicate that every
man and woman worker who is not
content with brutalizing conditions of
poverty is un-American. Is it true that
the only safe man to oppress and to
kick is an American? Let those
foreigners" realize that American
sentiment upholds their rightful ambi-
tion to put common labor on the plane
of comfortable living, and they will
not need to express their demands in
a disOrderly and possibly riotous way.
"Such industrial disputes, when
they reach such a stage, always begin
with the hopeful enthusiasm of the
mass of workers, and always end with
the triumph over them of the dis
ciplined hired private armies. There
in this, but fearful danger in it. And
it happens that this is the only cOun-
try in the world where armed guards
and machine guns and the other
weapons that go with them may be
privately employed to do the police
business of society. The Standard Oil
in BayOnne has proceeded to put down
the strike of it's underpaid common
labor with a ruthless use of machine
guns, armored motor boats and other
engines and agents of actual warfare,
as if its very purpose was to goad the
patient strikers into violence and thus
to destroy them.
"To blame only the inarticulate
sheep who have been goaded into
temporary fury by acts of cruelty and
incompetence sanctioned by law is
merely to accentuate the danger. If
the public could know all the imme-
diate facts and the economic back
ground out of which these facts
spring, the active sympathy of the
unhappy workers for the Standard Oil
in Bayonne."
In response to the telegram of this
committe, and of the National Labor
Defense Counsel, the Labor Depart
ment at Washington sent John A. Mof-
fit as investigator. Mr.. Moffitt has
urged complete federal investigation
into the causes of the strike and it's
events.
The situation is one which calls not
only for thorough federal investigation
under the Department of Labor, but it
is one which ought to enlist the con-
stant attention of the public. Nothing
that the government can recommend
or do could be nearly as effective as
popular demonstrations in resentment
in the use of the police and special
deputies.
The most brutal methods of repres-
sion have been used in the name of
the public, without any regard to the
right or wrong of the dispute and with
out any attempt to give the strikers a
chance to get fair deal by fair nego-
tiations. 1t has been said, and prob
ably accurately, that in this strike no
gunmen or guards have been employed
privately, but the same thing has been
accomplished by simply using the
police department precisely as if it