Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-03
UNREST
ATTRIBUTED PARTLY
TO RADICAL PRESS
Coal Strike Cited as Showing
Influence of Some 400
New Publications.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

NVV ] uHuOC klOuu0s
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Nothing has awakened such surprise
here in a long time as the fact that
coal strike is actually in progress in
the United States in the face of an
overwhelming public sentiment to the
contrary. The impotence of public
opinion as affecting at least 100000
men has been so forcefully demon
strated that official Washington is
searching for the fundamental causes
thereof. Why do 100000 men in Amer
lea defy or ignore the wishes of the
whole country? Do the miners read
the daily newspapers and are they SIM
ply unresponsive to any expressions
therein or are they absolutely ignor-
ant Of public opinion, taking their doc
tri1e from the lips Of radical leaders
and agitators?
Inquiry at the Department of Jus
tfce. where a sharp eye is kept on rad
tcal publications. reveals the startling
fact that during the war and since
the armistice at least 400 publica-
lions have sprung up of a radical
lished in foreign languages. Their
combined circulation reaches many
millions, not a few of whom are
negroes. When it is considered that
there are 1. w. w. organs published
in German and Russian. and that
a disregard and a distrust of the
great bulk of the English language
newspapers. and when 1t Is consid-
cred. too. that the circulation Of these
radical publications is rapidly in-
creasing, some idea of the causes Of
industrial unrest in America ran he
obtained.
Factor in Paper Shortage.
Just now the newspapers of Amer
lea are beginning to worry about =
possible shortage In white print pa
per. Owners Of paper mills say the
demand is greater than the supply.
Usually the blame is placed on the
increased size of the Sunday news
papers, but 1t would be interesting
to discover how much print paper
goes to the radical publications that
circulate clandestinely.
Suppression has again and again
been suggested, but officials are not
altogether sure that is the best way to
cure the evil, for 1t is true that many
of the radical newspapers which were
started during the war thrived on the
fact that they had been denied the use
..
secretly, parcels being sent by express
and in other roundabout ways or dis
tributfon being made at radical meet
ings and labor gatherings.
The difficulty In reaching treason
able publications by law is that the
mails has been denied SO many re-
bellious sheets, will expire when the
war il oflcially declared at an end.
Already Sne large socialist dairy n
New York has filed suit against the
Post ONCE Department to recover the
privileges of second-class mail matter
on the assumption, doubtless, inst the
purposes for which the denial was
made have not been served by the
termination Of hostilities with Ger
many.
There is plenty Of talk about extend
ing the espionage act into times OF peace,
but officials do not seem impressed as
yet with the idea that the radical pub
locations can be effectively checkmated
that way.
Instilling Distrust Of Dailies.
The defenders Of the radical press are
insisting that the laboring masses have
lost faith in the daily newspapers and
are turning to the other type Of publ
cation. Unquestionably many labor
leaders have been preaching such a dis
trust of the larger newspapers for many
years. arguing that capitalistic interests
have controlled and are controlling the
daily press.
In many cities where these charges
are made where radical newspapers have
sprung up, the effect has been to give
greater attention to labor questions and
to demonstrate in the columns of the
big newspapers by their treatment of
labor news that the attitude of the
editors Is not prejudicial but judicial
In other words, an effort Is being made
to fight intelligently the radical move
ment by carefully exposing the fallacies
and absurdities expressed by the leaders
ton to what may be the just grievances
Of the laboring masses. A healthy
growth of radical newspapers Is OBJ
served, incidentally, in those places
where the daily newspapers have taken
an uncompromising and unfriendly at
the effect has been correspondingly
beneficial to the cause Of Cancellation
and adjustment in those centers where
publications have adopted a we'll bal
anced and judicial attitude toward the
problems of employers and employees
Distinction Between Radicals.
A distinction must be drawn be-
tween the various kinds of radical
HoOLuc are preaching
what they believe to be an advanced
liberalism. Others are openly for
rebellion. There is no federal law
today making 1t crime for an indi-
vidual to conspire in times of peace
to overthrow the government, though
many bills of that character are pend
ing in Congress.
But the coal strike is a revelation.
Many thousands read radical publ
cations. Many thousands read no pub
locations whatsoever, being guided en-
tirely by the inflammatory utterances
of agitators. And a great many are
unable to read English. but take their
daily diet of information and guild
ance from newspapers published in
their own tongue, the editorials of
which never come under the eye Of
the great majority of the editors of
English Language newspapers and are
therefore hardly ever brought to the
attention of the English speaking
masses in America.
Copyright. 1912