The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-21
The Fine Art of Sabotage.

We make here some further quota
lions from the red pamphlet published
and written in part by the WILLIAM
u. FOSTER who is secretary of the ma
tional committee for organizing the
iron and steel workers.
Mr.. FOSTER, on the authority of the
red pamphlet, is also secretary of the
Syndicalist League of North America
an organization which he explains ais
simply an educational league with the
task of educating the labor movement
to syndicalism."
1t is not syndicalism as a theory
but Its avowed methods that become
interesting with Mr.. FOSTER as a DOS
sible leader Of a great strike. The
chairman Of his organizing commit.
tee, JOHN FITZPATRICK, promises that
there shall be no picketing IL the
strike is declared, that the men will
all go fishing" But what of the plans
of his associate, whose printed plat
form says:
I'm his choice OF weapons to night
his capitalist enemies the syndicalist
10 no more careful to select those
that are fair Just or civilized
than is householder attacked in the
night by burglar. The
wages system is the most brazen and
gigantic robbery ever perpetrated
since the world began. II So
ciety is even to be perpetuated-to
say nothing of being organized upon
an equitable basis-the wages system
must be abolished. The thieves at
present in control OF the industries
must be stripped OF their booty and
society SO reorganized that every in
dividual shall have free access to the
social means OF production
All this is. to be done by 1.-THE gen.
eral strike, but that being far away,
the syndicalist is willing to take what
weapons lie at hand, and in a chapter
on 1.-THE Daily Warfare of Syndical-
ism" Mr.. FOSTER and his fellow au-
thor, EARL C. FORD, discuss the par
tial strike and sabotage. The for
mer Is simple: strike whenever YOU
can, wherever you can and as long
as you can.
Sabotage, as Mr.. FOSTER describes
It, offers more opportunities. A lone
syndicalist can commit sabotage; all
he need do is to work more slowly
than the next man and he has taken
the first step toward abollshing the
wages system. The author gives the
origin of the word as from the French
slang TRAVELLER coups de sabots"-
to work as one wearing wooden shoes.
We may yet have an American slang
phrase, Hes woodenshoeing his Job"
To quote again:
The English labor unions, by the
establishment Of maximum outputs
for their members, are widely and
successfully practising It, 1t 10 a
fruitful source of their strength"
But this is mere elementary. sabo-
tage. Few Of US but practise it on
pleasant summer afternoons. The
higher grades begin with the form
known as putting the machinery on
strike"-putting cement in switches
aud signals, cutting wires, hiring out
as scab to put emery dust in the
bearings of machinery.
Another kind of sabotage widely
practised by syndicalists is the tao
tics Of either running or turning out
inferior products. Thus, by causing .
their employers financial losses, they
force them to grant their demands.
The numerous varieties of this kind
OF sabotage are known by various
terms, such as passive resistance
'obstructionism,' 'pearied strike
strike Of the crossed arms &c."
High praise is given By the author
- thc ~"ho'a~e th,t followed thc nm.