The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-10-16
THE WRONG WHIP.
(BOston News Bureau)

Lion tanners make practice of
carrying whip in either hand when
entering the wild beasts cages. With
the whip held in the night hand they
punish the lion when he is disobedi-
ent or pugnacious. But with the
whip in the left hand they merely
threaten. Curiously enough, the lion
merely dislikes the right-hand whip.
but greatly fears the left hand whip;
he knows the right whip from exper-
ience but the left whip holds all the
terrors Of the unknown. When he
turns, snarling, under the right hand
whip and would spring. the appraised
left-ha whip sends him covering to
a far corner.
Similarly organized labor has fac
ed the American public with whip
in either hand The public is well
scored and welted with the right
hand whip-.the whip of strike, riot
disorder and property loss. But when
its anger deadened the sting of this
whip 1t always recoiled from the up
lifted left -hand whip-the whip of
general strike tying up of basic
industry, removal Of the agents of
law and order
The bare mention of these has al
ways been sufficient to call up horr-
BILE pictures of bankruptcy and COM
plete cessation of industry; starva-
ton, and mobs rioting for bread;
murder, pillage, cities in flames; and,
dreadful word, only to be whisper
ed, - revolution. Repeatedly the
unions have dashed the public with
unreasonable demands, enforced by
strike, while the dreadful left hand
whip chilled the public anger with
menaces of what labor would do if
affronted.
Sometimes. however, in the heat of
the moment, the trainer strikes the
lion with the wrong whip,-the left
hand whip. Then he is indeed agile
to escape alive from the cage In
stantly, the king Of the jungle per-
ceives that the left-hand whip is on
ly whip after all; that it has no
more real power to stop him than has
the right hand whip. Then he springs
upon his trainer.
Has organized labor, excited with
power, struck with the wrong whip
the 1eft-hand whip, the whip of
general action? Has the public ex-
perienced the same establishment as
the lion? England had a general
strike and life went on and business
went on: what though they limped?
Babies did not die, factory doors
opened, the government stood. Be-
cause the public went into the engine
cabs and switch towers and demon
strated by courage and initiative its
title to stand amongst free and indie
pendent peoples.
The steel industry basic indus
try, eed,-was threatened with dire
punishments by the representatives of
practically all their employees. 1t gave
battle. Today the fiery breathings of
labors captains are become gentle
signs; their camps are employing, and
it is shown the representatives"
stood largely for themselves.
The misled police of Boston left
their posts in a strike" designed to
terrorize the city into acquiescence
with dts demands. The city was not
burned, nor did crime and disorder
prevail longer than a space of hours,
The citizens armed themselves and
proved that freemen could keep their
house clean.
The public and the lion both have
been victims of fear of the unknown.
But disillusioned hon and an awak-
ened public are alike dangerous to
those who face them. The public is
sufficient unto itself and need turn
from no class or clique Like truth,
II is mighty and shall prevail