New-York tribune., 1918-01-06

, Louis for unskilled labor, though ef-
fort is being made at the present time
to establish such an organization.
10 sum the matter uD, white labor
feels that preference was given the
negro laborer by the employer for the
reason that the negro would be slower
to organize than the white man, and
would thus be open longer to more
profitable exploitation.
The employers Of labor III East 81
Louis claim that they have shown no
preference to colored labor. They deny
the dictatorial rights Of the American
Federation Of Labor, maintaining that
each man has the right to get a job
when he can, and to work for as much
wages AS he can get.
They admit that little has been done
in the way OF welfare work in East St.
Louis, several Of the heads of plants
asserting that it had been impossible
| to get the employers to cooperate in
such efforts.
They deny that negro labor was i'm
ported from the South by them for the
purpose Of strikebreaking, and dis
claim all connection with the influx Of
negroes into East St. Louis.
Frank A. Hunter, general manager OF
the packing house Of Swift & Co.,
which employs AZ per cent negroes,
told the Congressional committee that
he believed the riots to have been
brought on by the Labor unions losing
their strikes and the negroes "scab-
bing." He added that all classes par
! ticipated in the riots.
Robert Conway, general manager OF
! Armour {; Co., stated that he believed
the direct cause Of the riots to have
been the agitation among the Alumi-
mum Ore Company strikers: The East
St. Louis packing house of Armour &
Co. employs 1900 men. 10 per cent OF
whom are colored The killing gang
Of the plants suffered a shortage OF
labor as a result Of the riots.
Representative Foster, of Illinois,
upon asking j. ?. Pero, manager of the
Missouri Malleable Iron Company
what the attitude of the negro became
upon coming North, received the reply
that the negro "turned loose"
Representative Cooper, OF Wlscon-
sin, remarked: "Thev probably act as
any person would act who has been
kept down for century-just as the
Russian peasants are acting to-day.
Mr., Pero told the committee that
! while there was a dangerous floating
element in East st. Louis he did not
think that the riots were instlgated by
that element. He attributed the cause
to the fact that the labor unions could
not control the black people.
An Open Town
for Criminals
East St. Louis is the terminal OF
twerty-eight main lines OF rallroad IL
is also situated on the Mississippi
River. Either of these conditions would
attract floating population OF negroes
from the South.
~ n q n
could handle such. q population, ant
East St. Louis has had the worst. In
stead of affording protection to the IN.
noccnt and prosecuting the guilty, II
has been the policy of the city officials
to protect the guilty at the expense OF
the innocent.
A city Of $4,000 inhabitants, East St
Louis has had 376 saloons. Her police
force was inadequate. her magistrate
courts corrupt. Votes were bought an(
sold openly. Gambling establishments
barrel houses, wine rooms and dives Of
all descriptions were under the pro
lection Of the police. A low cabare
called the Monkey Cage acquired ;
wide reputation throughout the coun
try, and was the rendezvous of thug
Of every descriI ton.
No night passed that did not registe
some holdup, murder or attack. Prose
cutions were few, and were confined t
. the enemies Of the administration.
1t was into this community that 500
Southern negroes came. Many OF then
had never been in any city before.
As has been pointed out, they got thu
jobs. Their wages were large and th
negro did not stop to consider tha
the rent he paid was triple that CHARGE
for the same accommodations in tn
states further south.
If he were open to criminal sugges
ton, the suggestion was by no mean
lacking He became the pet of the ad
ministration. His vote was sough
alter. If he committed crime, he wen
untouched.
A pawnshop on the main street 0
! the city displayed a large sign, reading
2 Buy gun and protect yourself" Re
volvers could be procured for S
cents. East st. Louis is not subtle
Both whites and blacks bought
Riots in Which
=, One Hundred Were Killed
A general determination to "run tn
niggcrs out of town" seemed to b
spreading. The negroes heard tina
they were to be massacred, and man
of them left the city.
The whites, ON the other hand, ha
the rumor that the negroes were t.
, rise up" on the Fourth Of July, at
certain Jones Park, where they wer
accustomed to have a barbecue on tina
day. Feeling grew steadily worse.