The Redwood gazette., 1919-11-19

| and that violence IS de1Inltely stopped OhS "
the things of which am proud is my connection
with the New York police force have the
greatest regard for the policeman who does his
/ duty. put him high among the props OF the
state: but the policeman who mutinies, or refus-
es to perform his duty, stands on level lower
than that Of the professional lawbreaker Such
policeman ranks with the soldier who mutinies in
the face of the enemy and should be consigned
to the same pit of oblivion. / ask, then, not only
that civic officials perform their duties, but that
you. the people, insist upon their performing
them. You are not to be excused if you fail to
demand that your representatives perform the
first duty of civilized people by seeing that vio-
lence is stopped and that the laws are obeyed
I ask this particularly of the wage workers and
employees, and men on strike It is to the interest
of everybody that law and order shall prevail;
but it is especially to their interest because the
question of the rights and wrongs of the contro-
versy cannot be settled as they chould be settled
until there is order, until the law is observed.
ask them, not merely passively, but actively to
help in restoring order. ask them to clear their
skirts of all suspicion of sympathizing with dis
order, and above all, the suspicion of sympathiz-
ing with those who commit brutal and cowardly
assaults.
B What have said of the laboring men applies
just as much to the capitalists and the capitalists
representatives. A year ago, Judge Safer sat in
Southern Ohio on case brought before him affect
ing the striking miners. An injunction was ask
ed for against the miners. He declined to give
it, and read to both parties from the bench
lecture to which, for their good fortune, they
paid heed He also told the miners that their
worst foes were among themselves, among those
members and sympathizers who committed acts
of violence and he told the employers that if
they, by their hired men and representatives com
mitted acts of violence, they, in their turn oc-
cupied the same disgracefu position that their op
ponents occupied; that the law was the same for
BOTH and justice and good conduct were demand
ed alike of each party to the controversy
In all great labor struggles, not only the
capitalists and the employees parties III interest,
but there is another party, and that third party
is the people as whole You here are the party
in interest, and peculiarly so in a controversy like
the present where a public service corporation
is involved which has peculiar and special con-
nection with the government and with the peo-
pie.
Now, then, your first duty is, haye said,
to see that law and order obtain. 1t is the duty
of your representatives in public life to demand it
of the lawbreaker, not as favor, but as right,
which you will punish him for failing to fulfill;
and it is to the interest of all of you to- demand
it, but most of ALL it is to the interest of the wage
workers But your duty does not stop there It
has only just begun There can be no justice with
out law and order but law and order are well-nigh
valueless unless used as foundation upon which
justice is built up as super structure. 81
AS y have said to you, conflicting statements
have been made to me as to the original cause of
the trouble 1t has been alleged to me by reputa-
BILE men that originally the trouble began because
of the discharge of certain men who asked for an
increase in wages It has been alleged to me that
the struggle has been continued because of the
open or covert determination of the employers
not to permit union to exist among their employ
es Both allegations have been denied, and have
no facts before me which enable to decide
whether or not they are correct
AS to the first allegation, it would be an act so
Infamous to discharge a man because he asked
for an increase in wages, that can hardly believe
it can have occurred. But it would be almost
as bad to discharge man because he belonged to,
or was preparing to enter, or organize union.
am honorary member of union, myself If
were wage worker, | should certainly join a
union; but when was in would remember that
/ was first of all an American citizen Uncle Sam
comes to top in everything. | would certainly
join union. In our modern industrial system a
union is just as necessary the corporation, and
in the modern field of industriasm it is often an
absolute necessity that there should be collective
bargaining by the employees with the employers;
and such collective bargaining is but one of the
many benefits conferred by wisely and honestly
organized unions that act properly. OF course,
it is outrageous to force man to join union,
just as it is outrageous to take part in, en-
courage, the so-called secondary boycott; but it
is no less an outrage to discriminate against him
because he wishes to have union, or to refuse to
deal with union when organized. The union has
the same right to exist that the corporation has,
and it is unfair to refuse to deal with it it
| is to refuse to deal with the corporation. Show
your willingness to give the union its full rights
and you will be stronger when you set your faces
like flint, as have set mine, against the union