New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-24

and says that he will do his duty as
soldier. Many OF those arrested
have been released and given employ
ment when the officers were convinced
that they were not true militant
I. W. VS..
Walking down a street in Ellensburg,
! sew numbers OF men sitting IN the
second story windows OF large brlck
building. | thought some local meet
ing was being held until ! noticed a
man with a rife across his lap, sitting
in front Of hall door. II turned out
that ne was one Of the guards and that
the men in the windows were the de-
tanned T. ". VS. in their sleeping
quarters. These were the mild ones.
Violent Ones in Jail
The insolent and violent ones were
in cells in the county jail. They have
TO sleeping equipment except heir own
blankets. During the daytime they are
allowed the run of bullpen on the
Courthouse grounds and the bathing
facilities of tub in tent. They are
we'll fed. The soldiers make the ar
rests, but the county authorities are
charged with keeping the prisoners.
IL is significant of the respect IN
spired b. the soldiers that in all or
the hundreds of arrests that have been
made there has been recourse to actua!
force, such as clubbing with rihe
stocks, in only four cases. Not a shot
has been fired. Yet the same men VINO
submitted so easily 20 the soldiers had
the local police thoroughly cowed. An.
other significant fact is that none or
the arrested men were armed. Not
revolver or dirk was found on any OF
them. This supports the contention
that they do not intend to resort TO
violence.
But there has been an abundance OF
irritating sabotage. In packing apples
an !. ". w. will ruin them by indent-
ing them with his finger nails as he
places them in the box, or he will put
rotten apples in the centre OF the
package. Stories are told Of thou
sands Of boxes of apples thus spoiled,
with resultant indignant protests from
Eastern buyers and injury to the repu-
tation Of growers and packers, 70 say
nothing of large financial loss.
In some instances !. W. W. employed
in planting trees have placed the tops
in the ground instead Of the roots. IL
is this sabotage, so persistent and often
so difficult TO detect, that forces the
conclusion that some way must be
found to eliminate the whole !. W. W.
organization, no matter whether 1t re-
sorts to illegal violence or not.
Governor Lister last winter vetoed
bill making sabotage per sc a crime,
and the producers now charge him with
a large measure Of responsibility for the
present state of affairs. They say the
veto was in effect notice TO the l. w.
w. to keep on with their nefarious ac-
tivities.
In fact, there is general complaint
that the Governor has not properly
comprehended the intent and purpose
Of the !. w. w. and has permitted his
sympathies with the cause OF labor as
a whole TO weaken his action against
an organization that is essentially
inimical to society and government.
Governor Between Two Fires
The Governor told me that the out
come has not changed his views as to
the wisdom of his course in vetoing
the sabotage bill However, ne has gone
far enough to incur the enmity OF the
I. W. W, even though he has practi-
cally, supported their position in the
great lumber strike. IL Is said that
one of them walked into his Office the
other day and dramatically informed
him that they would get him." what
ever that meant.
That the best present method of deal
ing with the |. W. ". is through the
military is shown not only by the peace
and contentment that reign in the
Yakima Valley since the soldiers were
stationed there, but by the case of the
Northport smelter. =,
This smelter produces one-tenth OF
the entire lead output Of the United
and the government has requlsi-
toned II per cent of its product. AS
soon as the |. W. W. started to disor-
ganize its five hundred employees twelve
soldiers were sent to Northport, and
all efforts to scare the men into quit
ting have been futile, even though many
of them are doubtless nominally mem
bers of the /. w. w. No arrests were
made and no repressive measures were
taken. The malcontents kept still be.
cause they knew the soldiers would
seize them without formality at the
first sign of disturbing activity. and
the others knew that they were secure.