Denver labor bulletin., 1916-12-23
By DANTE BARTON.

NEW YORK, Dec. l2.-When the
American Federation of Labor, in its
late Baltimore convention, unanimously
denounced the governor of South Caro-
lima for sending five companies OF coast
artillery militia to break the strike OF
700 men, women and children employed
in the Anderson. s. C., mills OF the
Wellington-S Sears corporation Of Boston,
the convention called the attention ot
the nation to one Of the worst cases o.
industrial tyranny and attempted peon-
age that still prevails in the country or
presumably free men and women.
Down in Anderson. s. C., these 700
men. women and children are on the
perilous fringe of starvation, or are
leaving their homes in exile because they
dare to exercise their lawful right OF
union organization and in the name or
that union. the United Textile Workers
Of America. 10 demand a slight increase
in their meagre wages.
Hide Their Responsibility.
I-p in Boston. Mass. live the Northern
owners OF those two Southern mills.
These Northern owners are the members
and Officers of the powerful. wealthy,
Wellingt ton Sears corporation. Rich. pow
erful and irresponsible. William II. Wei
lingtou. president Of the company; s. +.
treasurer. and other owners of the com
panv. hide their real responsibility for
the brutality Of repression practicei
against their Southern workers. They
hide their responsibility behind cruel ar
bitrarv acts Of their local superintend-
eut, Robert T. Lyon. who SAYS to these
men. women and children;
Yes. we can afford the small ten Per
cent increase You have asled-we can
give that and more, casilv-but not =
damn cont will Dc given w vhile you pc"-
rla belong 20 q union When arhit-a-
ti0n was offered bv tho state board the
workers accepted tho sffJr. hut the c1r
puratinu refused it absolutely.
Sheriff Refused to Eviet.
Careless. prosperous. powerful. these
Wellington -Scars owners assume not
only TO own mills, but TO own the work
crs They own the earth about their
ulautl and toll these workers to get
out. They brought eviction suits under
a probably lavless law which permitted
only ton dRys notice TO the tenants.
They brought these suits before a mRgis
tratc who at one time had been prcsi-
dent Of one Of the companies. When the
judgments were given by this maCis-
tratc. Sheriff Ashley. friend and neigh
Dor of the peaceful strikers. refused to
nut the men. women and children into
the street When ordered bv the GOV
crnor 10 DO 81. this right feeling officer
sent hscl, word that he would not evict
families until those families Were a.
sured beforehand Of a roof over their
heads. and he told Governor Manning
that II the governor did not like this
statement. Manning could 60 and put
the families out himself
II was right there that this powerful.
irresponsible corporation Of Boston
proved what Z; could do thru the gov
ernor Of South Carolina. That governor
Immediately ordered five companies OF
coas, artillery militia {" GO to Anderson.
{ c, to 20 to the little mill villages OF
Gluck and Equinox. and put the striker,
out Of their homes. And the people Of
the whole state Of South Carolina must
pay $4,000 per week while those artil-
lcry militiamcn overawc the men. WON