New-York tribune., 1919-06-22


winnipeg is now governed by the
soviet. The seat of government has
been transferred from the city hall to
the labor temple"
Victory for Labor
This was true. The labor revolution,
Bolshevistic, soviet, call it what you
will, had taken place.
this in itself meant complete victory
for labor.
What can be done without labor"
says the catechism in "The New Union
ism," published in "The One Big Union
Bulletin" the organ of radical labor
in the Canadian West, of which the
Winnipeg strike is the first demon
stration.''
Nothing" is the answer
What would happen if labor with
held its power to produce ?"
In the answer lies the whole theory
of the one big union, the latest mani
festation of Bolshevism and I. W. w.
ism, the reason for the general strike,
as tried at Winnipeg:
Capitalists, priests, politicians,
press hirelings, thugs, sluggers, hang
men, policemen and all the creeping
and crawling things that suck the
blood Of the common workingman
would die of starvation"
That is, labor can win what it asks
simply by stopping work. The theory
ic stated almost daily in "The Western
Labor News" the Winnipeg strikers
organ. Here is one quotations.:
I've do nothing. We keep on doing
nothing. When our funds are ex-
hausted We shall not return to work,
but with brains crystal clear we will
think out our plan and will call on
the men who have money to debauch
US to put up the money to feed Us
and when we do they will come
through. We shall not starve and
we shall not work"
That is the Reds theory Of the power
Of labor. 1t seemed to work in Winni-
peg, but Winnipeg citizens would not
accept 1T. Most Of them were neutral
as to the strike. many in sympathy with
the unions But when the plan for
soviet rule became clear they rebelled
and organized. Without outside aid,
without bringing in a single strike
oreaxer or guard, without a show of
force, the citizens them selves took
over the preservation of order, filed
'ne places Of the civil servants, main
'alaed the delivery of food, brought
ABOUT the reestablishment of the
power OF the law In three days no
one could deny that the seat of govern
ment had returned to the city hall.
ieere had been a counter revolution.
The soviet was beaten.
Wouldn't Cire Up
The strikers fought on. They fought
70 win back the places of the civil
servants who had gone out, to es-
uSiash the right Of those servants to
"f'ke when they wished and to join
a sympathetic general strikes, and
'aey fought TO win on the original
]sue-a quarrel between the metal
'tades workers and their employers-so
mat victory could be claimed.
But from that day on there has been
10 doubt where the seat Of government
u. Ihe government is functioning in
sn lis branches and it's orders are
s0eyed. The city is losing money by
tug million, but it is living, except for
40 business, an almost normal life
40 capitalists, priests" and so forth
not starving, nor in danger OF
~f'atlon And its citizens are de.
"ined to stand to their guns and
sons'nue the fight till labor abandons
- 'nought Of soviet rule and accepts
~ principle that the government OF
W me people must rule.
We have shown labor two things.
,s'0 one Of the officials of the Citizens
committee Of One Thousand. "We have
a'"n them, first, that there is a force
.Asef than theirs that will stand
1'no our government, and that they
a'nos overthrow it. We decided tina,
.Asy might as we'll learn this now ar
-. "nae- Nothing can justify the
Ps 'ney made. Many Of us sym.
S. with them in many ways
"inx they had the right in thei,
Mhai qusrrel--but we will not even
s..s. 1913 that with them. we will have
.ss a"s 70 do with them, until they
s.aoon their hope Of seizing the rov-
nAve shown them something
=. sna though it is important, / do
70 lay too much stress upon
s..a - most Of the workers are good
0*s and iayal citizens when thew
A nos misisd. But we have shown
- - that We can live without them
nsss come 70 think th.v -.