The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1918-06-08
/. W. W'IsM
IS GROWING
The Greatest Menace in the World
Today.
(By Hamilton kendall.)

the patrlOtlc ana disturbing prOml-
nence attained by the organization
known as the Industrial Workers of
the World has startled every patriotic,
home-loving, God-fearing citizen of the
United States-yet great majority
of the great American public are gross
ly unfamiliar with the scope and ulti-
mate purposes of that revolutionary
element in our industrial life, as
worker in the lumber camps of Wash
ington for the past few years, have
touched elbows with them, have,
through personal contact and intimate
association become thoroughly familiar
with the aims, ideals, methods of ap-
plying the most sacred weapon of the
organization, sabotage, and the insen-
safe, unreasoning, deep-seated hatred
every l. w. w. holds toward the pres
eqt form of government.
In writing this article l took into
consideration the possibility of criti-
cism and charges of misstatements,
and I assure the reader that this COM
prehensive analysis of the greatest
menace in America today, as great
menace, as real menace and as far
reaching a menace as the Imperial
German War Lord, is conservative.
There is no exaggeration in this
statement, in every district where this
"outlaw" organization dominates-the
populace KNOW-believe me, THEY
KNOW that no evil could strike a
more paralyzing blow to law, order, de-
cency and liberty than this anarchistic,
God-hating, law-detesting band of NAL
contents.
In considering the l. w. W., it is
first of all necessary to understand
their fundamental principle-the en-
ployer must go. It is equally neces-
sary to understand that their word,
agreement or contract is worthless
they frankly and officially announce as
much. An employer dealing with an
with the organization for a definite
time and be certain that the terms
of agreement will be faithfully COM
piled with. The reverse is the policy
of the I. w. w. To agree with them
as to wages, hours or working condi-
tions today does not insure the en-
ployer against strike tomorrow, and
If he is not confronted by strike
he will have to contend with syste-
matte sabotage, organized loafing and
ingenious methods of causing him
financial loss. No matter how high the
wages, how short the day or how
pleasant the working conditions-the
I. w. w. is the relentless enemy of
the employer. Nothing save the ex-
termination of the employer and the
overthrow of judicial and legislative
government will satisfy him.
The I. w. w. is literally a revolu-
tionary organization which had its in
ception in Chicago in 1904, when
group of radical labor leaders, under
the leadership Of Thomas J. Haggerty,
editor of the official organ, and Clar-
ence j. Smith, general secretary-treas-
urer of the American Labor Union,
formed the organization by combina-
ton of the Western Federation of Min
ers, the United Metal Workers, the
American Labor Union and the Social
list Trade and Labor Alliance.
The brilliant Debs was warm sup
porter of the embryo organization and
for some time after the Chicago con-
vention made stirring appeals to his
radical adherents to join the zone Big
Union" However, the party leaders
became entangled in bitter controver-
sizes and in 1905 the Western Fedora
ton of Miners withdrew, and three
years later the Socialists and conserva-
tives announced their dissolution of in.
terests. The radicals opened up head
quarters in Detroit and called the new
radical branch The Detroit I. w. w.
The two organizations, though prac-
tically synonymous so far as principles
are concerned, have been bitter, i'm
placable enemies. A deep-seated an
tipathy between both radical orders
and the Socialist party, the "Legiti-
mate Trade Unions" and the present
form of government has prevailed
since the forming of the two branches
of the I. w. w.
A perusal of the I. w. w. platform
(Preamble) is sufficient to convince
the most skeptical observer that the
organization is founded on principles
with tendencies bordering on anarch-
ism, as the following excerpts will il
-lustrate:
''The working class and the employ
ing class have NOTHING in CON-
MON; between these two a struggle
must go on until the workers OF the
A~1r