Denver labor bulletin., 1917-07-28

Socialistic origin barred from the
An editorial in the Denver Express
says:
Muzzle not the OK that grindeth out
the corn.
This nation is going to learn speed
lily that the laborer is worthy of his
hire, or it is going to see a reign of
terror, reign that martial law Will
hardly put down.
The man who cannot see all about
him the signs of revolution, right here
in this country, is blind.
The newspaper that fails to speak
out in a time of crisis like this is a
newspaper that lets cowardice die
tate; and the newspaper that seeks to
place the blame of conditions on the
/. w. w. or the German secret agents
is an ass.
Right now this country needs to do
some mighty straight thinking if it
desires to continue free nation,
where law and order are the rule in
stead of the exception.
The l. w. w. did not cause the
Arizona strikes.
German agents did not start our
nationwide labor troubles.
| Professional agitators are not re-,
sponsible for the Leadville and stock
yards strikes.
| Inc STetu Oh
made fertile the soil where the cancer
like roots of anarchy and rebellion
thrive.
The |. W. w. leaders, like the Ger
man agents, stepped in and tried to
direct the discomfort; the workers of
anarchy frequently took charge after
the revolt had started, and carried the
blaze to new fields, but if the work
ers of this nation had, these last four
years, profited in just proportion as
the chief industries of the nation have,
there would have been no discomfort,
no strikes, no rebellion, and the soap
box yelpers could have howled their
lusty throats out without response.
But when the worker faces an
empty flour bin. when he cannot buy
| shoes for his children, nor sugar for
| his cakes, nor milk for his babies, tho
he work seven days a week at top
speed and when he reads of the bill
lions of war profits that his bosses
have piled up, then he is ready for re.
volt, riot or any other thing that will
! fill his belly or strike at his oppres-
sors.
You may Jail hundred thousand
strikers, and deport in cattle cars
million of their sympathizers, but if
ten million other workers alongside
of them refuse to labor and starve,
and go out, and then ten million more,
and on and on, you are likely to run
out of cattle cars and riot guns and,
let US face the truth, armies to sup
press these empty bellies.
There is just one solution to this
home revolution thing; it is to
fix quickly in All industry minimum
wage that will insure the worker and
his family getting three good meals
| day; insure his babies their milk;
his feet their shoes; his back warm
clothing. The workers of this country
are going to get as square deal as
the average workhorse gets, and if
the estimable gentlemen now running
the nations business cannot arrange
this little matter it will be arranged
for them, and probably arranged in a
most unsatisfactory manner-to them.
Property rights are most respect
able and are duly upheld by law, but
the right of human being to eat is
considerably more fundamental than
some would admit.
The workers of this nation today
do not average decent living from
| their utmost efforts.
| Naturally some of them, several
hundred thousand, are wondering just
why they should work, and lot more
of them are going to do some brisk
thinking along these lines when it gets
| zero, and there is no coal, or it can
only be obtained at dollar bucket,
and when there is no milk, and eggs
are dollar a dozen, and bread is a
quarter loaf, and wages are not in
creased in proportion.
The average wage increase in this
country does not represent one-tenth
the increase in the cost of living;
either the cost comes down, or the
wage goes up, or we have revolution.
Take it or leave it, gentlemen of the
desk, office and sanctum, but be sure
that what you are going to do you
must do quickly.
The raid that organized greed made
when war was declared; a raid to i'm
port cheap labor; raid to abolish
child labor legislation raid to force
workers to work at the guns muzzle,
under guise of patriotism, is meeting
its due reply in these nationwide
strikes; and if these dollar patriots
imagine that the workers of this free
| land are going to work and starve
and submit because few fat folks
wave a flag and shrek treason when
the worker demands living wage,
they are going to have the surprise of
| their sleek career.
Immediately industry must pay
minimum wage that enables the work
er to live decently!
If industry will not do this then the
government must take over the traitor
industries of the country and operate
them for the benefit of the nation, for
the good of the workers, and the
health and comfort of their families.
It is impossible to magnify the Sc
robustness of this revolt it is silly to
consider it mere flash in the pan; it
is idiotic to attempt to stop it by
clapping few l. w. w. leaders in
Jail.