Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-20

insurmountable difficulties in his effort
to earn an honest living. We hear
about the trades that men learn I'm
prison. The fact is that the articles
made in prison arc almost exclusively
made in prisons; so that a man wish
ing to work at the trade taught him
by the State would have to break into
prison TO find Il job such as he had been
trained to do. The eX-prisoncr finds a
cordial welcome in the ranks of the
|. W. W. Under interruptions leaders
he becomes worse than before.
The great strike among the lumber
workers In Michigan and Minnesota In
1916. and in the Northwest in 1912. seri-
ously hampcred the government both
in its shipbuilding and in Its airplane
programs.
Witnesses testified in the Chicago
trial OF I. w. w. members recently
that they wrecked farm machinery to
such an extent that sometimes thresh-
Ing machines would break down fve
times in q day. This was done by drop
ping pieces OF iron into tho mechanism.
1T Is claimed that the I. w. w. have
destroyed annually sl0.000.00o worth OF
property In tho past few years. In
places fires kindied destroy elevators.
grain in the stack. and buildings. In
1917 proposed drive against the best
sugar industry failed.
The wheat fields Of Washington. tho
hop fields OF California and tho beet
fields OF Colorado have all suffered
from the Expectations OF the /. w. w.
This Is part Of their general warfare
on capital, the systematic wreckinB of
the present order. Sabotage Is difficult
to prove and impossible TO prevent. but
when the !. W. w. began to oppose tho
government in the prosecution OF the
war they at once entered on dangerous
ground. Probably they are no moro
can. They are simply against the
government. They expelled members
who enlisted In the army. They openly
boasted that If they were drafted that
they would shoot their officers and sur
render TO the Germans.
Witnesses testified in the cases now
on trial IN Chicago that the accused re-
fcrred 10 our soldiers as Uncle Sans
uniformed scabs. Pcrshings yellow
dogs and thugs" a Governor OF West
crn state demonstrated with an I. w.
w leader who threatened 10 call out
all OF the farm laborcrs. lumbermcn
and workers in the mutation plants.
saying. why, you wouldn't do that
while the country is at war, would
you?' The man answered: II don't
give II damn who your country IL fight
irS-i am fighting for the solidarity
OF labor"
The recent espionage act passed By
Congress makes II possible TO deal with
such reasonable takers. The drastic
measures taken by the courts during
tho war may stamp out the l. w. w.
for II the leaders arc sent TO prison for
= term Of gears the rank and Me will
rcpudia,e their membership In the
organization.
= Very close watch will be kept over
all attempts 1T sabotage in the in
dustries during the war. That will de-
pr!vc the ]. w. w. OF one OF their CHIEF.
weapons They will no longer be al
lowed TO dcnounce the government
from soap boxes on street corners. and
this will cnectually cut OF recruits.
Therefore the w. W. is doomed IL tho
war continue for several years. In
any case II is but malignant soro on
the surface Of our social SYSTEM
Copyright. 1918.