The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1919-11-15

thinking one thing; five hundred men
moved by the same emotion; five hun
dred men coming from every part of the
state and representing every kind of la
Dor which is being performed in the
state and met after the historic fashion
of America to protest in the name of
Liberty.
1t seemed to me as looked out across
that assembly of earnest men that thew
were not alone. 1t seemed to me that
here with them were those men who in
former times spoke for liberty. Otter
voiced, always near their thought were
| the signers of the Declaration of indie
| pendence and l thouht as I looked at
them that just as the steel strike had
/ penetrated ort from its trade and had
involved with it the labor of Pennsy1-
vanla, so throughout the country the
sympathy of labor was turned toward
it-that the whole mighty force was
modifying behind it.
It is 1abor's fight, and 1abor's alone.
This fight for rights-the rights and
fight of the whole people All liberal
groups, all people worthy of the name
of Americans, should have the same
jealousy and indignation when the
| rights of any single person or group are
interfered with. But the country at
large has not listened. The country at
large, quick to aODlaud the government
for the injunction to the striking miners,
has been almost mute in condernnirg
Mr.: Gary The miners wouldn't arbi-
trate. They were ready to negotiate.
Mr.. Gary was ready neither to negoti-
ate nor to arbitrate.
This is because the general public
has been kept largely in ignorance of
what has happened in Pennsylvania. 1t
does not know what is going on. Many
even mention the convention. The
I judicial anarchy practiced in Pennsyl
Vanla was and is passed without COM
| ment, while the papers gave headlines
to nonresident bomb plot at Gary.
If you have, read the press, there prob
ably remains in your mind the idea that
| in Gary there must have been a group
| of revolutionists. There was nothing
of the kind. Labor" the Plumb-plan
paper, sent impartial investigators, and
what they found was that this whole
story was manufactured one, yet Gen
eral Wood permitted it to go on without
protest.
If half a dozen negro scabs start a
srnudge in any furnace the United
Press and the Associated Press and all
IL.
this silence in those papers about the
chimneys that are rusting away in
Steubenville? Take the train and go
| down the Ohio valley. The forests of
| chimneys are black. No plume of smoke
| floats from them. Once in long time
you will see feeble strain above
chimney.
What are you doing to keep alive
your enthusiasm among the men?" I
| asked a Steubenvi11e organizer
We don't have to do anything" he
replied. 1T is too easy in Steuben-
vile. The men Just walked out and they
are staying OUT
Down the whole river it is the same
l-Fallonsby, Mingo, down into Wheel
ing and Be1laire and the surrounding
towns-dead furnaces, empty mills
and, in one or two places where there
| is a vague semblance of activity, the
| fires are kept going mostly by official
employees. Why is not this news given
| out?
Meantime, throughout the country,
| comes the tangible proof of 1abor's soil
darity. Look over the length and
breadth of the country, and you will
find people working for the steel strike
The relief will have to be financed by
the country at large. In several places,
| TIC Ccl1IId1 ICucTdlCQ DOQ16S' nave al
ready voted not only money from the
treasury, but days work from their
members. All over the country, women
and men are contributing their labor
All over the country comes the proof
that labor in the country at large real
ICES that the steel strike is not local
thing; that it is not an isolated thing,
but that it involves all of labor. That
ii is part of this nationwide struggle
which is going on for a wider democ-
racy. Labor must win this fight now
, The money powers have declared war
upon organized labor. They intend to
crush organized 1aobr if they can do it,
Ali this talk about the Reds is but
camouhage in widespread attack on
the orderly labor unions of this coun-
try. So when you give your days work
and when you give your sympathy you
are fighting the battle of the steel work.
ers; but you are also fighting the forces
of reaction which, if they can, will
crush you and wipe your organizations
| off the map.