The Tomahawk., 1919-09-18
PACKERS CAUSED
RIOTS, sAYslAB0R
FIunkies Preached Race Hatred
t. to Break White and
Black Unions.
IMPORTED MANY NEGROES
Union Men Had No Hand in Violence
-prevented Worse sIoodshed by
Exposing Aims Of Prohteers and
Politicians,

1
Politicians.
Chicago, IiI.-"The prohteering
meat packers Of Chicago" de-
cIares a proclamation issued by
| tho Chicago Federation Of Labor,
| "are responsible for the race riots
which have dissraced the city,"
This labor statement shows that
the packers first brought In no.
aroes aa means Of fighting union.
Ism among the white workers.
When the blacks also began to
organize under the direction Of
white unIonists, city police and
special police were used to break
up the meetings. When these
means failed, the politicians rep
resentlno the big Interests pro-
voked the violence between the
two races. The piotters even
burned homes Of white workers.
Union officers of both races worked
night and day to prevent the people
from being stampeded into further
madness and probably prevented the
situation from going as far as those
who made it hoped.
Press Also Guilty.
The proclamation reads in part as
follows:
"The profiteering meat packers Of
Chicago are responsible for the race
riots that have disgraced the city.
1T Is the outcome of their deliber-
ate attempt to disrupt the union labor
movement In the stockyards. Their
responsibility is shared by the daily
newspapers, which are kept subsidized
by the extravagant advertising con-
tracts Of the pakers. particularly the
Tribune and the Herald-Examiner.
discriminating against union men,
they have fred them and hired non.
union men in their places. In recent
years their principal recruiting points
for non-union workers have been in
the south, and non-union colored
workers have been brought here in
great numbers, just as they are being
brought here now by the railroads.
or we're up to the outbreak of the
race riots.
"The unions met the action of the
packers by starting to organize the
colored workers.
"As soon as this work commenced,
the packers started to fight the unions
with foul tactics. They subsidized
negro politicians and negro preachers
and sent them out among colored men
and women to induce them not to
join unions. They had Y. M. c. A.
secretary on their staff and the two
present aldermen of the second ward
participated actively in this campaign
Of the packers.
Long Preparation.
AT every opportunity the packers
and their hirelings famed the fires Of
race prejudice and the fires Of preju-
dice between strike-breakers and Or
ganized workers.. hoping for the day to
arrive when union white men would
refuse to work beside unorganized COL
ored men, 20 that the union men,
white and black, could be discharged
and non-union workers.. white and
black, put in their places. until the
spark came that ignited the tinder
piled by the packers and the race
riots ensued.
"The only thing that saved the city
from becoming a shambles was Or
ganised labor. Night and day the Of
hcials of the Stockyards Labor coun-
ell toiled and fought to hold in check
the forces of organized labor-to show
them that the situation was the result
of exploitation Of white and black
workers alike by the criminals of big
business and to prevent workers from
assaulting other workers.
Homes Set On Fire.
1T stands to the credit of the union
workers Of Chicago that neither black
nor white union men participated In
the rioting, despite the lying accounts
published daily by the kept press.
'The rioting subsided and then
someone fired the homes of hundreds
Of white workers back of the yards
and their homes were burned to the
ground. The newspapers and the
police, Jointly tools Of the packers,
tried to convince the citizens that
colorod workers had set IRE to these
homes.
why? It is perfectly obvious that
the criminals that played race against
race until blood flowed in the streets
Of our city, had carried their work
further and made this last effort to
inAame the Polish and Lithuanian
white stockyards workers against the
colored workers."