New-York tribune., 1919-11-05
The Voice of Americanism

Massachusetts stands by the an
cient American faith Her people
were challenged by the forces of
syndicalsm and sovietism 10 say
whether or not they stll adhered to
the old IDEAS of the rights and power
Of government based on the viii Of
The majority They have given a
crashing answer
The Boston police strike raised
lear issue between the forces which
re trying to sustain the American
conception of the state and those
which are trying to destroy IT, The
policemen joined a labor union feder-
ation and presently, by deserting
heir posts in body, showed that
they put their associated private in
erests above their duty as public
servants. Governor Coolidge de-
cided TO treat them as deserters.
lie has refused to reinstate them or
&c promise them reinstatement later.
His opponent, Mr.. Long, favored
aking thcm back after the election.
All the power of labor demagogues
and of the anti-American propa-
gandists was exerted to elect Long
and dsfcat Coolidge. The labor
raa.cals realized that their theory
group organization TO coerce M
arganIzod majorities and the gov
rnment which ought to be, but not
always has been the agent of those
najorities, was squarcly challenged.
The policemen had been inspired
vitn feeling Of group an
tagonism toward the state, similar
70 the feeling OF workers in ordi-
nary industry toward private en-
ploycrs. # the authority OF the
tate could be thus undermined, the
'yranny Of minority control could
ne more easily imposed on the un-
organized mass.
There could be no misunderstood
ne of what the radicals sought
md what the public had at stake in
he Massachusetts election 1t is tc
Governor Cooldge's everlasting
credit that he didn't try TO dodge OF
compromlse He ran ON the plat
form that the police strike was
wrong from every point of view
He denounced the efforts of those
who tried to use the strike as q
means of breaking down the states
authority He appealed TO the peo
ple to support him in resisting The
Legitimate pressure of labor or
eanzat;ons. which had transferred
heir activities from the economic
10 The political field
That appeal has had an extraor
dinary result Governor Coolidg,
has apparently been reelected b,
he largest plurality ever given t,
"a candidate for Governor in Massa
ehusetts. His opponent carrie,
eoston, the stronghold of the labo
anion and radical elements. by
plurality Of less than 1000. Il
manufacturing towns ana countr,
towns alike there was landshd
Tor the candidate of unadultorate,
Amerlcanism, and this in an indus
rial state where manual worker
IRE IN an enormous majority
The same thing, we believe, woul
nave happened IN any other state
The people generally have locke
on indifferently, while the labo
adicais built UP their system of in
fense minority activity and fal
eaching economic pretensions. Th
adicals have arrogated the right t
speak for labor, although they rep
resent less than 10 per cent Of thos
Who labor. They have thrcateae,
and thundered. and many politician
nave yielded to them, as the Presi
dent and Congress did in 1916. OF
he eve Of the Presidential election
But nowadays the masses of pco
pie have come to appreciate tn
nenaef to public interest and safet.
contained in the activities Of ambi
tious and thoroughly organized