Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1919-10-17


burgh itself no picketing is allowed
and meetings are now allowed only
in the Labor Temple itself-far from
the mills and homes Of strikers-and
in one small hall on the north side.
But that isn't the worst of the sit
uation. The police, sheriffs and state
constabulary are not only arresting
strikers everywhere in spite of the
absolute absence of disorder, but they
are going in to strikers homes and
beating strikers who refuse to go to
work and throw them into jail.
These things are so common that
the strike committee has become
weary of repeating them to the kept
press which doesn't print them and
to public officers who do nothing to
prevent the continuance of such out
RACES; but American labor should
know. 1t would be the best thing
which could happen if every central
BODY would appoint a live delegate
or two to come into the Pittsburgh
district and learn what is going on,
to see whether American labor can
afford to leave stone untu1ned IN
the defense of the rights upon which
it's life depends.
At a special meeting held by the
Central Labor Union in Labor Temple
resolutions were passed which state
the facts of the present situation:
the strike; its objects "for the right
of industrial representation, a living
wage, an actual eight-hour working
day and various other redresses"; the
campaign of Qualification and libel
through the medium of their sub
sidized press" practiced by the steel
companies; the estate OF terrorism
inaugurated as their sole method and
hope of breaking this strike"; the as
sistance given the companies IN the
attempt to break the strike by various
state, county and city officials. =. the
hired police, private detectives, thugs
and strike breakers of said cOmpa-
nies" with recitation of fifteen specltl-
cations of this indictment including:
Unwarranted arrests and assaults;
denial of the right to hold meetings
with threats against owners OF halls;
invasion, of such gatherings as have
been permitted by sheriffs, constab-
ulary, detectives, ETC., who have inti-
Undated, assaulted and dispersed
those attending; denial to unions of
the right to hold regular meetings
and invasion of the privacy ordinarily
granted to any fraternity; denial by
the sheriff of Allegheny county OF the
right to hold meetings other than IN
English despite the offer of labor
unions to pay for translators to be
designated by the sheriff to report
to him what should be said; denial
of usual and proper rights of arrested
strikers in hearings of their cases;
entering and searching homes OF
strikers without warrant or authority
of law and destroying and removing
their property, including money; ar
resting persons offering to bail others
arrested and re-arresting others ask
ing transcripts of their cases for ap-
peals and "by general intimidation
and brutal and unwarranted consp1r-
acy such as Russia in its despotic,
pre-war days never exercised, and not
even short of cruel and cold-blooded
murder"
For if Kaiser Gary should win this
fight what would happen? Does any
one need to be told? Isn't it clear
enough that the steel octopus has
been chosen to grapple with the labor
giant-the steel trust with war profits
running up to eight times its pre-war
profits, can afford to put twenty mil
lion or so into a fight in which victory
will solidify its despotic power to
squeeze profits out of both. its work
ers and the public which has always,
in the last analysis, to pay its profit
eering prices.
"The situation on all fronts is salts
factory" as the war communiques
used to say. The strikers are holding
solidly everywhere. Even if the
rights of citizens were not denied, if
meetings, picketing, and distribution
of literature were freely permitted,
it would still be herculean task to
keep in touch with the thousands up
on thousands of strikers in the steel