The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-17
THE AGITAToRs.

AA1AASASos
During the last week the Topeka
Capital printed two articles containing
false, malicious and lbe1ous attacks
on the Topeka State Journal, the arti-
cles being prepared by their writers for
the purpose of scattering poison in the
minds of the union working men of
this city.
Governor Capper. the publisher of
the paper, knows these articles to be
untrue; Harold Chase, the editor of
the paper, knows them to be untrue;
Walter johnson, the managing editor.
knows them to be untrue; the writer
of one of the articles, w. T. Luce.
knows they are untrue and the union
men in this city who have had deal
ings and relations with the State Jour
nal know them to be untrue.
This sort of thing has been going
on for weeks and months and it is
time that the public be given the facts.
A tarred stick must sometimes be
handled.
In the first place, one of the first
things the present owner of this pa
per did when he bought the property
make a union office out of it; it has
been a union office ever since. The
proprietor of this paper believes in
organized labor and has repeatedly ex-
pressed his views on that subject.
In connection with the Luce article,
which appeared in the Capital Sun
day, the State Journal is accused of a
number of things as follows:
Misrepresentation of labor representa-
such tactics is to cause a division in the
council of labor and thus cause dissen-
sa9n sa from tn 1b an sb evident attempt to
adopted by the Topeka Industrial council
3ne t1e n aeekns TO
sion between organized labor and the busi-
ness interests of the city. The Industrial
tireless worker for the cause of labor. 1t
is further recognized that SO vicious an
attack as recently appeared in the even
council saw fit to express full confidence
in him and to denounce the paper. Organ
lied labor at this time assumes the double
win the war and raise the standard Of liv-
ing. These efforts may conflict with those
who appear to believe that every effort to
pull the working people up & has ,ta tendency i'd 's
tive naturally is resented by the central
labor body as well as by the union mem
bership generally"
Here is the truth in reference to the
above falsehoods:
Those who read the State Journal,
and there are more people in this COM
munity who read it than read any 9TH
er daily paper, know that there has
never been any effort to create a di-
vision of the councils of labor. Thera
has been criticism of alleged labor
leaders. several of whom are discredit-
ed by the union men themselves.
There has never been an attempt to
! create dissension between organized
| labor and the business interests of the
city; quite the contrary. The owner OF
| this paper not only believes in organ
lied labor but union men only are en-
ployed in the composing room
stereotype and press rooms of the pa
per. In thirty-three years there has
never been a strike in this office;
there has never been any dispute that
was not adjusted by conciliation. Il
has never been necessary even to arbi.
trate any difference between the pro.
prietor of the paper and the unior
men employed upon it.
| Instead of what this paper has done
being discredited by the union mem
bership generally, the reverse is true
/
labor In Topeka are as a rule as fine
lot of people as live in this commun.
ity and their records are good. Thi.
cannot be said of some who force
themselves to the front and pose a.
| leaders
1.-THE union membership generally
are not. as Mr.. Luce would have tn,
public believe, Nonpartisan leaguers
agitators and fomentors of strife be
tween labor and capital; and some o
these alleged leaders are. For tina
reason the attempt of the evening pa
per to discredit any labor representa-
tives is resented by the union mem
bership generally" is not true.
Certain trouble brewers and iabili
ties of unienism in this community ar,
a man named Trapp and a man named
Brown. The former publishes pape
Of notoriety and falsehood and misrep
resentation. Both of these men are II
partnership in publishing what I
called "The Kansas State Trade
Unionlst." The writer, who is the edi
tor of this paper, does not see eithe
of these papers. but Is told that theI
is vicious abuse Of him in both Of them
based on falsehoods, not to use
shorter and uglier word which woul
more emphatically express the view
point.
This paper and union people gen
orally were amazed last week to lear
the status CT James o. Stevic, who 1
defended by Mr.. Luce and by thos
who atte 1ded a recent meeting of tn
Industrial Council. Stevic has SCENE
to be fair man and of higher stand