The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-10-02

The steel and iron workers may
have some grievances. We would
not presume to pass judgment upon
the conditions of which they complain.
But some of the features Of the strike
would indicate that there is hidden
purpose in their actions that the
American people should strongly re-
sent. The leaders of the movement
are men in whom loyal citizens can
have no confidence. John Fitzpatrick.
the chairman Of the steel strikers
committee, declared that the steel in
dustry pays less than paupers get
Yet when put on the etand by the
congressional committee he acknow-
lodged that he knew nothing regard
ing the wage schedules, had never
visited the steel works and knew
nothing regarding the conditions of
the laborers. William 2. Foster.
secretary of the steel workers na.
tional organization. and one of the
chief promoters of the strike. has
been identified with the 1. w. w or
ganization and contributor to their
literature. He is the author of sew
eral pamphlets on industrial matters,
one of them entitled "Syndicalism.
In his defense of syndicalism he gives
US some choice paragrap his, Of which
the following are samples:
'tThe Syndicalist sees in the state
only an instrument of oppression and
bungling administrator of industry
and proposes to exclude it from the
future society. He sees no need for
any general supervising governmental
body, and intends that the workers in
each industry shall manage the affairs
Of their own industry; the miners
shall manage the mines; the railroad
ers manage the railroads, and 30 on
through all lines of human activity"
Another reads:
In his choice of weapons to fight
his capitalistic enemies the syndical-
ist is no more careful to select those
that are fair or civilized than is a
householder attacked in the nighs by
a burglar. With him the end justifiey
the means. Whether his tactics be
legal and moral or not does not
concern him. SO long as they are eff
fect:ve. He purposes to develop, re-
gsrdless Of capitalist conceptions of
legality fairness, = right. etc..
agreater q power chan hiS capitaiistic
enemies have; and then to wrest from
them by. force the industries they
have stolen from him by force and
duplicity and 80 put an end forever to
the wages system. He proposes to
bring about the revolution by the
general strike.
Another choice one:
Another favorite objection of ul-
TIA legal and peaceful Socialists is
that the general strike would cause
bloodshed. This is probably true, as
every great strike is accompanied by
violence. Everv forward pace hu-
manity has taken has been gained at
the cost Of untold suffering and loss
Of life. and the accomplishment of
the revolution will probably be no
exception. But the prospect of blood
shed does not frighten the Syndicalist
worker. as it does the parlor social
iet.
The general public can have little
confidence in q strike that is engineer.
ed by men of such sentiments, and
they can excuse the president Of the
steel corporation for refusing to
counsel with man of such sentiments
when he comes claiming to represent
the laborers in the steel mills. His
sentiments are those of the Soviet
government of Russia. and there are
grounds for the presumption that his
purpose is to make this the revolu-
tionary strike which he advocates. A
man who would express such senti
ments in America should be ostracisec
rather than made the leader of al
American industrial movement.