American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-05-28
VOLUME XVIII.
/. W. w. PLANNED TO
OVERTHROW GOVERNMENT
Witness in Chicago Trial Tells OF
Plans OF 0rganizer-SabOtage Prac-
ticed Against Washington Farmers.

Declarations in favor of the German
kaiser as a ruler in America with the
present administration we're made at
the meeting place of the Industrial
Workers of the World in Milwaukee,
after the final break with Germany,
according to testimonies Saturday at
the trial for seditious conspiracy of
112 l. w. W. leaders.
Joseph Burdall, who said he was
forced to join the l. W. W., to safe
guard his life, testified as a govern
ment witness that G. ]. Bourg, de-
fendant, and other Germans who
gathered at the Milwaukee hall, de-
clared l. w. Ws knew their signs"
that if they were drafted into the
army they would shoot, but they
would choose their marks carefully
Would Shoot Army Officers.
"Our bullets will not strike down
the Germans, but will pierce the necks
of the American officers" Burdall
testified Bourg shouted in an impas-
stoned anti-war speech in which he
urged overthrow of the American
government.
1--WE can put the American army on
the bum as quickly and effectively as
we can wreck a construction company
plant" said Bourg, adding that the
members of the organization should
begin by burning grain fields, de-
stroying food production plants and
wrecking munitions manufactures"
IF the Germans strike in the east,
we should be ready to strike in the
west" and bring about complete over
throw of the government, Bourg was
quoted as saying. He said that Ger
mans and rebel leaders knew that the
great number of Germans in America
were ready and willing to fight the
American war program.
BurdalI testified that Bourg, whose
exploits as an organizer in the har-
vest fields last year resulted in his
being branded with the letter /. W.
W. on his body by a mob, was the
most adent of the Milwaukee speak
ers in his revolutionary pronounce
ments.
I'VE will be doing a good thing for
civilization if we follow out the poll
cy of fighting the masters who are
calling our men to arms" Bourg was
quoted as saying.
OJ -
Nebeker, chief prosecutor, Burdall ex-
planned the Hi-Jack, or strong arm
tactics of the organization, told now
farm machinery was wrecked faster
than land owners make repairs and
at times when loss of day meant a
big financial loss, and related specific
instances of property destruction.
Thrown From Moving Train.
The witness told of being thrown
from a rapidly-moving train by an l.
W. W. brakeman because he carried
an American Federation of Labor
card instead of an l. w. w. card.
The witness testified that the l. W
W. became so strong in Montana anC
Washington harvest fields that farm
ers maintained extra parts of thresh-
ing machines for quick substitution
after the inners had been wrecked by
dropping in pieces of iron.
"Near Odessa, Wash, on one bis
farm we got so used to making re-
pairs after the l. w. w caused trouble
that they could only keep a machine
idle a few hours" Burdall testified
Sometimes our machines would b'
wrecked five times a day. There was
no use to take action against the men
They were all the men we could ge
and they had the upper hand"
Devise New TerrOrs.
After the owner and his repair crew
becaume too proficient to suit the I
w. W. they devised new means o
causing damage the witness said.
"One day, when they could think o
nothing more serious, one of thu
mobiles Il. w. W) led a horse ovei
to a we'll to water it.
A short time later we found tina
he had put the horse in the we'll ant
the Job was so we'll done we had t
work a long time with a derrick t
rescue the animal"