Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1917-08-17
GENERAL.
GOmpers VS.. Roosevelt.


At the meeting in honor of the
Russian commission to this country.
in New York City, Samuel Gompers,
in his address, touched upon the race
riots in East st. Louis, which were
current in the news of the day, ami
charged greedy employers with the
primary responsibility through i'm
porting from the South hordcs OF
negroes with the purpose of lowering
the labor standards of East st. Louis. |
Theodore Roosevelt interrupted and
denounced the outrage on the ne
groes, placing the blame on the par
Elephants in the riots. to the exclu-
sion of the responsible persons be-
hind the scenes.
The Illinois State Council of Del
tense has Investigated the cause for
the riots and has reported, sustain
ing the position of Mr.. Gompcrs.
The report of the committee from
the State Council of Defense, in part,
is as follows:
1T was shown that extensive ad-,
vertising had been done in Souther
newspapers, setting forth the allure
ments in East st. Louis in the way OF
abundant work, short hours, and
high wages, good conditions and
treatment. Labor agents also were
shown to have been very active in
/. the South. They had gone about So
Letting the movement of colored men
to East St. Louis. They had invited
colored men to assemble in groups
of ten in order to get cheaper rail-
road rates. Excursions by train and
by steamboat were offered cheaper
for the round trip than the regular
one way fare would amount to. That
such things were being done. was re-
cited in the local press Of East g..
Louis continually for many weeks,
and seemed never to be denied.
"A popularity OF this campaign
for the importation of unskilled labor
to East st. Louis was its anonymous
character, a fact in itself suspicious.
There appear In all newspapers over
the country almost daily. ADVERTISE
ments for labor in some other place,
which are signed by those who want
the employees. But 1t seems strange
that the extensive territory Of the
South should be covered by a propa-
ganda urging migration to East st..
Louis, and at the same time that
these advertisements should not only
be signed by no one, but that they
should not designate any particular
} plant, of which there are many large
J ones in East st. Louis, that required
additional labor. Likewise, labor
agents were equally mysterious. 1t
was related that these labor agents
would assemble car loads OF negroes
and start north accompanying them.
At convenient points these agents
would leave the car with the remark
that they had kilograms to send. or
would get a lunch. They never came
OdCk, anu tuC u PuitCu OuS "AeAA
out them. The negroes were thus
left to shift for themselves upon their
arrival in East st. Louis; to find work
as they could and quarters as they
might.
1.-THE evidence warrants the con-
clusion that there was an extensive
campaign to induce negroes In great
numbers to come to East st. Louis.
} Such campaign had required consid-
cradle financing. and it's hackers took
pains to be unknown. Official recog-
milton Of these circumstances was
taken in a resolution introduced to
, the Chamber Of Commerce. ten days
before the race riots occurred. The
resolution sets forth the things here
related. and urges that steps be
taken to discontinue the practice and
to employ every legitimate means to
, prevent the influx Of negroes into
Fast ST. Louis and thereby take