Evening journal., 1919-02-18

j. S. EOLSHEVISM
HAS COLLAPSED
Unions Admit They Were
Misled by Un-American
Adventurer
REAL STORY OF
SEATTLE STRIKE
BY JACK JUNGMEYEH.


SEATTLE, Wash, Feb. is.-Every
wise American, from the capitol % fhe
worker in the humblest home, Is to-
day trying to sum up the cost, the i'm
port and the essence Of the Seattle
Affair" and the course OF democracy
in this country may depend upon how
well that sum is calculated.
For in the flve-day so-called sympa-
thetic strike that bound Seattle with
its infectious possibilities were fused
all the creeds that propose the over
throw Of the present system and gov
ernment in the United States.
This is a statement Of fact, amply
supported.
First, and most important, the gem
eral sympathetic strike, no matter IN
der what professions or design essen
TALLY has a revolutionary content
Within q few hours after the 10000
organized workmen Of Seattle had
ceased work, this became apparent.
Leaders Of the Bolshevist school sue
ceeded In nflaming a considerable pro-
portion Of the strikers with the proposal
that. after all private enterprise had
been perforce shut down, the workers
themselves take over and operate all
essential industries permanently.
The general strike as exemplifled in
Seattle is in no wise like any simple
craft strike.
The general strike. it was shown, not
alone hits at employers and business
and Institutions, but II effective must
suspend all the essentials Of life. health
and safety in the community where ap-
Piled. ..
Radicals in Seattle openly admitted
this. and all II implied, and It was only
e matter OF tactics in winning over the
more conservative element that water,
light and power IRE protection, sewage
and garbage, telephones, and the whole
life stream OF a city Of 100000 was not
ordered entirely cut off by the strikers
FOR an indefinite period.
A city simply cannot live with all
activity stopped. the strikers know bet
ter than the rest Of the community.
every WE'LL" challenged the leaders, /
"let the strikers resume the essentials /
under their management"
There is the handwriting on the wall
for the government, and here IS the
handwriting for the democratic labor
organizations Of America.
The so-called sympathetic strike"
launched on the plea that It was to
force action from the emergency 1eet
corporation In behalf Of the already
striking shipyard workers Of Puget
Sound was not in any sense spontan-
eous.
It was engineered by a radical. in
terested minority. who understood the
psychology Of mass Infection and plaus-
ible Slogans.
A ''class issue" they called It.
BY adroitly playing their own game
the metal trades, numbering some 3D.
900, succeeded In getting perhaps 40
900 other unionists 10 help them win
their own contest.
The lowest paid were called out 70
help the highest paid-chambermaids
10 help artisans.
The Bolshevlk element openly sought
70 direct the mass toward revolution.
sympathy" had been gained by
bludgeon methods.
Today the great majority OF the
strikers, sobered 10 recognition that
they gained nothing through the gen
erai strike they did not already have,
admit thew were misled and victimized
nv eophisticated coterie OF radicals.
Seattle never had disputed ''the solid
sritv of labor" that the leaders made a 3
catchword.
Seattle employers were making no
effort or plans to disrupt unionism.
Even the shipyard workers wage
demand was in dispute between the
workers and Charles Piez Of the gov
ernment neet corporation. not the local
ship plant owners.
This was a grim, daring, anti-Amerl- J.
can and Federation-of-LabOr ad-
venture, cloaked in another semblance
by a juggling with words; a wedge
which, had It not been broken of by