Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-26
With Proper COOPERATION
Could Tie Up Whole
World in n Hours,
He Says.
BY J. E. CROWN.

A big man whose cynical smile failed
to obliterate or temper the marks OF
his SCARED face. gazed out of window
overlooking the seething stream Of
humanity.
Fools" he muttcred. The world
gone mad; seeking wealth and happi-
ness which by right belong to it, and
have been stolen by the capitalstic
few. Why don't they go and take
what belongs to them? If man steals
my purse and / catch him at 1t the
law gives me the right to take It away
from him by any means at my com
mand."
A company Of khaki-clad soldiers
swung by. band played a blood
tingling melody OF patriotism. The
strains aroused in the bosoms of the
street crowd the desire to fight, but
the big man in the window growled
Cannon fodder; IL every man in the
world refused to fight there would be
no such thing as war. But they mus,
obey their bosses, their bosses OF
money. their bosses Of power, their
bosses Of class"
Then the big man. musing to him
repeated Tennyson's immortal ballad
when the war drums throbbed no
longer. and the battle flags were
furled.
In the Parliament Of Mantle Fede-
ration OF the World"
touched the big man on the
shoulder. He wheeled. held out his
hand and faced William D. Haywood
known as big BILL" general secre-
of the Industrial Work
crs OF the World.
l saw at once why this man is a
leader. maybe of discomfort, or revo-
luton, maybe of destruction.
/ saw him leading mobs of striking
miners back in the bloody days of
Colorado. 1 saw him driven from com
and exploding mines. I saw him de-
jail under charges of murder. 1 saw
him in the glare OF burning plants
and exploding mined. I saw him de-
Tying battalions Of soldiers and armed
mobs of strike breakers. big Bits"
seams are broken up into guIches and
canyons. all livid scars, the results OF
physical battles from one end of Amer
lea to the other.
BATTLE-SCARRED MAN
WITH VOICE OF THUNDER
One eye is gone. but the other eye
can look as hard as steel, or beam like
the gentle blue Of summer sky. He
stands over six feet. His should ,rs
are slightly stopped from bending in
the stopes Of mines where the precious
metals OF the world hide away. His
hands are knotted and broken from
pick and shovel and occasionally q
club.
l expected to hear a voice of thun-
der; l expected to see a man rant and
rail; / expected him to use the Lam
guage OF the camp and the dance hall.
i looked toward his hip pocket for a
gun. but 1t only contained a soilcd
bandanna handkerchief His voice, as
he asked me to be seated, was gentle
and mild. His language, as he opened
tho conversation, was that of a college
professor. His laugh was the music
Of Western stream.
He may be all that he has been
painted. He may be the leader of a
band that would destroy our govern
ment and all governments. He may
be the adviser Of violence. His heart
may be bitter and actions brutal, but
TO me, when I interviewed him re-
gardinG the activities Of the Industrial
Workers of the World. he was more of
poet. more OF dreamer. than the
leader of a militant rabble.
l told him candidly that 1 did not
believe In his theories of government:
that l did believe that the Industrial
workers of the World were responsible
for violence in this country cx-
planned to him that his organization
at this time, in my opinion, was try
ing to embarrass the government in
It's war with Germany, and that its
members were in effect traitors to
America. 1 told him, however, that this
story was to be his story. and that he
could have his say.
GIVE IGNORE THE WAR;"
WHICH IS WAR OF CLASSES
Il wish to deny emphatically in the
irst place the foolish and vicious in
timation that the Industrial Workers
OF the World is being financed by Ger
man money" he said. Here are our
books. which have been gone over by
the government. Every cent that we
nave used has been contributed by orr
If had my way, 1 would
disembowel the Kaiser and strangle
him and all of his dirty, ruling brood
with the dried lariats of his entrails.
Tho Industrial Workers of the World
has nothing to do with this war. We
are Ignoring it. This is n war of the
classes. in which the poor ignoranfus
is made to fight their battles for
power and Doodle. If the Industrial
Workers of the World was in control
OF the world, there would be no such
thing as war. Wars are brought on
ny the desire Of some master of money
to gain more power over the masses.
If every man in the world had re-
fused to fight, as the Industrial Work.
FRS Of the World have, thore could be-
no war. Our masters Of degenerate
blood, OF political ambitions; our seek
srs of gold, would ride over the bodies
Of women and children and Of un-
fortunate men comprising the great
masses to power and lascivious luxury
of life" -
AS big Bill" with the word blood"
on his lips, was about to launch into