The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-09-07

merce, sent this communication to
Mayor James Rolph Jr., after
lengthy meeting of the committee:
Mayor James Rolph Jr.:
You have repeatedly been asked to
preserve law and order in the pres
ent street car strike. 1t has been
necessary to request of you that pro-
lection to life and property, which,
as the responsible executive official
of our city, is your sworn duty to
give.
You have failed to preserve law
and order
You have failed to protect life
and property.
Not only have you failed to give
protection, but the United Railroads
has been prevented from exercising
its constitutional right of protecting
it's employees and passengers.
Your sworn duty is to see that
the law is administered.
Your failure to perform your
sworn duty has resulted in acts of
violence, including murder. The
city knows that your failure is in
excusable and the record is indie
feasible.
In the interest of all the people,
we demand of you that you perform
your sworn duty and make our city
safe.
SAN FRANCISCO CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE.,
FREDERICK j. ROSTER,
President.
In reply to the above Mayor Rolph
made the following answer:
Dear Sir:-Your hysterical tele-
gram dated 1:1O a. m. of August "a,
was delivered at my home at 1920 a.
m. of the same Gay.
Permit me to say, in the first
place, that neither you nor the law
and order committee Of the Cham
Der of Commerce has earned, by any
conspicuous devotion to law and or
der, the right to lecture me or the
police department.
On the contrary, the attitude ard
the activity Of you and your par
ticular group have done much, in my
opinion, to engender the industrial
unrest and class hatred, eliminating
on few occasions in turbulence and
violence, which have lately distress
ed this community.
l am quite as strongly opposed to
lawlessness and disorder as you and
your committee can possibly be; and
| am, moreover, opposed to every
form of lawlessness and disorder,
whether committed by corporation,
a striker or a strike breaker, and
whether that lawlessness takes the
form of bribery, perjury or any sort
Of chicane, or the more violent form
of assault and murder.
Since the beginning of the strike
there have been more men on patrol
duty in San Francisco by day and
night than ever before in the history
of the city. The disorders that have
occurred have been few in COMPARE
son to the disorders in street car
strikes that occurred in former years
in San Francisco. Either you know
these facts or you refuse to know
them.
But no vigilance can prevent spo-
radio disturbances. The police sup
pressed the disorder last night as
soon as they could, which was i'm
mediately, The affair was not in
any sense a riot. 1t is unfair to
expect the police to be present in
advance at any point where dis
order occurs, even though the dis
turbance could not have been an
ticipated. The police have arrest
ed the men supposed to be guilty of
the murder Two of them were ar
rested within two minutes after the
murder. Doubtless you are disap-
pointed because the police have not
yet turned machine guns on crowds
in our streets and killed few dozen
strikers. including the customary
number of innocent bystanders; but,
with all respect for your opinion,
think the police do well to enforce
law and order as firmly as they have
done, but without any quick or wan
ton slaughter of the people. Violent
and bloody repression has never
maintained law and order so effectu-
ally as firmness, coupled with mode
ration and common sense.
1t is unfortunate that so many
persons of your type in this
country are so incurably stupid
and ignorant about business and
H.. h.