The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1919-11-29
SPANKING NUMBER TWO

III VA0 06I0 SACok CoPANcAA9k-( III
~terests assumed to run, manage and
manipulate political affairs in town.
city, county and state, and there
was a popular impression that Wash
ington was their lead-pipe cinch.
This condition gave birth to Gin
~surgents" in the republican party,
and "progressives" in both the re-
i publican and democratic parties.
and there also appeared a lot of
socialists, and other radicals, all of
whom have been running wild
throughout the land, doing consider
able good (and harm) through their
various activities. The net result
Of all these changes in the public
temper has been that popular gov
eminent has eve prospered more
in the United States than during
the past ten or fifteen years. The
voters of the country literally took
the c~apitalistic interests cross their
knees and padded them good, and
the intelligent observer must agree
that the operation was a fine thing
for the country.
The wage earners of the country
looked on at this performance and
applauded heartily. When the chas-
tisement commenced a few clever
labor leaders started in to build up
a great organization, and under the
masterful leadership of Samuel
Gompers they finally placed them
SELVES in the saddle during the
period of wal excitement. Ameri-
can labor stood squarely back of the
government and was loyal to the
core. 1t registered 100 per cent in
helping to win the war.
Meanwhile while fighting for de-
mocracy in Europe the conviction
settled itself upon our nation that
there should be a more equal dis
tribution of it among the laboring
men in the United States. A few
labor leaders installing the desire
of the nation to work but intelligent
reforms in the industrial situation,
thought that their individual lead
ership was getting all the applause,
and in the cocksuredness that they
were "it' they came forward and
defiantly threatened everybody and
everything hat stood in their path
way. The railroad ~brotherhoods
went before congress and boldly
threatened to ''tie up the railroads
so they never will run again" unless
their legislative scheme (which con-
gress believes to be wholly visionary
and unsound), were passed. The
police of many cities, including
those in the national capital, be-
came troublesome owing to their af-
filiation with the American Fedora
tion of Labor; and a brave governor
in the old Bay state handled the
Boston situation in a way that was
later overwhelmingly approved by
the voters of Massachusetts,
In the hope of finding a better
method than strikes and lockouts
the president of the United States
assembled the representatives of
capital and labor in an industrial
conference in Washington, and at
a critical time in the proceedings
President Wilson sent a message
from his sick DON appealing to
the delegates to stick to the task
and bring about a pian upon which
employers and employees could oper-
ate the industries Of the country
without strikes, loeAouts and other
disturbances. Samuel Gompers and
his group of labor leaders threw de-
fiance to the president, to the con-
ference and to the nation, and
bolted; with the result that the pro-
ceedings came to a close. The steel
strike was at it's height, and the
only prospect for betterment of the
condition of the wage-earners in
that industry laid in the conference
itself. Next came the coal strike,
and the government again patiently
counseled against it, and offered
every facility to secure justice for
the disputants. The leaders of the
strike defied the government. and
Mr.. Gompers proved to be the worst
hornet of all. This was the same
Samuel Gompers who has been
pointed out as the sane leader" and
the great patriot"
What happened is too well known
to need retelling. and whether or
not the attorney general was justi-
fled in invoking government by in
junction" need not be discussed
here. The final result is the more
important, and the only conclusion