New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-16
|. w. w. Agitator
Jailed for Giving
Strike Handbills
fstar Correspondence

/ lStan COrrespondencsI
PORTLAND, Ore, Aug. 10.-"Perse-
cutonl" cried the stout, frowsy woman
at the Public Prosecutor, and followed
up her summary of the trial with a
few choice epithets for the prosecutor
personally.
J John Macdonald, Industrial Work
ers Of the World journalist and leading
agitator, had just been sentenced to
six months in Jail and his wife was
giving vent to her feelings. The prose-
cutor paid no attention to her, but
turned away with set face as from the
accomplishment of an unpleasant
duty.
Strictly speaking Macdonald. sub
ject to the issue of promptly taken
appeal backed by $500 cash bail, had
been "railroaded" to the Portland rock
nile for six months. He was charged
with the petty offence of distributing
printed matter in a public place with
ont a license TO do so. The revived
ordinance which trapped him had slum.
bered undisturbed in a musty book OF
CITY ordinances for some twenty years.
II had been vitalized expressly for the
PURPOSE of catching him and his KIND
The testimony showed without dispute
that certain Industrial Workers OF the
World hand bills had been placed on
the stand from which he spoke.
The Judge was in no mood to indulge
in casuistry as to just what consul
tuted matter by law forbidden OF dls-
tribution. It was enough for him that
hand bills advertising the Industrial
Workers of the World and the general
strike were on the stand and that mem ,
bers of the audience got them. Be
sides, he felt, that he was trying far
larger issue than the one indicated,
simply because the offender was an In
dustrial Worker of the World. lie
plainly implied that beneath the dis,
euise of a technical charge Macdonald
was on trial for an otfense which,
though not described in the books OF
law. was a very serious one-vlz., OF
trying to stir up social and Industrial
unrest and cripple the nation in It's
time OF struggle with an external foe
of being, in other words, an aggressive
Industrial Worker of the World prose-
lyter.
Portland and Oregon have served no
tice on the Industrial Workers of the
World that they will not be reduced to
the straits OF Seattle and Washington.
Portland moulds the law and It's ma
chinery to the end in view. Butte re-
sorts to lynch law undisguised and
hanged Little. Portland resorts to
trick of law and imprisons Macdonald.
People hold that the end justihes the
means.
l.. w. w. Leaders Fanatics
The |. W. W. must not be confound-
ed with any ordinary labor organlza-
ton. Ostensibly, at least, other labor
unions seek TO gain their ends through
the channels of reform and evolution
provided by society as it is. They do
not seek TO overthrow, but to gain
their ends within the organized state.
The / w. W. is the avowed enemy OF
the whole political and economic sys-
tenn. and holds that all means are fair
that contribute TO its overthrow. IL
is revolutionary, and revolutionary
with fire and sword. |. W. W. success
means. not reform or change; it means
revolution-bloody revolution.
As watched the progress OF the
Macdonald trial and studied the man
and his followers who testified in his
behalf, | felt that | was in the pres
ence Of a great fanaticism. Macdonald
is plainly fanatic, a fanatic in the
sense that a bowling devish is a,
fanatic. He considers himself lead
err OF a holy cause-of a revolution
that is to turn the whole world over
TO the men who work with their hands.
According TO his view. he is doing his
part to awaken to q knowledge OF their