Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-12-29

were working under the euiue ef the
Central Labor Union and the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor. The duly
constituted officers Of the labor ore
ganizations were the leaders in this
movement.
And ! therefore say te .yeu, with
out any prsjudies aedtnst union
lahse Or the American Federation eS
Labor, H,at thsss organizations and
their officers are responsible fes any
acts committed by them 40 leno ~
they permit radicals to sseuts and
maintain control Of these orsanisa-
tions. There 10 no evasion Of this
responsibility.
When Mr.. Gempers failed to de-
nounce the Winnipeg striks-whsn
he failed 70 dsneunee the psliesmsn's
strike in eeston-and when 10 failed
to uphold constituted authority in
the dock worksrs' strike-ths print.
ers' strike-ths steel workers. strike
and the coal strike, then he and the
cause he represents became respen.
sibls for the acts Of his followers.
The strike Of the Boston policemen
in September was identical with the
precedent established at Winnipeg
and that 1t failed. was due to the
courage Of a typical Americana
believer in law and order and consti-
tuted government--Gover Cool
idge-Thank God--this country Of
great men-of liverty loving people
of Washinston-of Lincoln. and Of
that peerless outspolen man among
men.-THEODORE ROOSEVELT -
is still producing men with red blood
in their veins.-men who believe In
her history and ideals and who give
allegiance to God. country and home
first.
The demand for a general SYM
pathetic strike on May /. 1919 was
based on the principle OF collective
bargaining. increased pay for police
men and street railway employees.
This plan Of the radicals failed.
owing to the city compromising with
the policemen on the question Of in
creased salary and the Street Rail
way Company demanding arbitra.
tion through a commission appoint
cd by the Dominion Government.
CONSERVATION prevailed among the
radicals but they continued their ac-
! tivity looking for q new basis for
calling the general sympathetic
strike.
! The building trades employees next
struck for exorbitant increased wages
and upon the refusal of the employ
crs to acceed to these demands. a
/ vote of all the unions In the city was
taken. based upon the following two
: questions:
! First: Do you favor increased pay?
Second: Do you favor action look
ing toward increased pay?
Naturally the great majority voted
yes on both Of these issues, as prob
ably you and l would have done.
AS n result Of this vote. the radi-
! Gals announced that the general sym
pathetic strike would take place on
Thursday morning. May 18th. at II
o'clock, and that all industry would
cease at that time.
On the night Of May 14th, the radi.
| calls and their followers met and lis.
tened to infIamratsry speeches BY
their leaders. They wsre tsId that
at one o'clock the following day, two
hours after they had gene on \
strike, they would return 70 work
victorious az the strike would be Of
such magnitude az to paralyze and
dsmeraiixe industry and the eem-
munity. That following this victory
on July 1st, another sympathetic
strike would be called, when the six
hour day, FIVE day vvssk, thirty hour
per week schedule would b made
effective, and that The final strike and
greatest victory would take plsss on
October 1st, 1918, when labor would
take over, own and operate all in.
dustry.
| Leading citizens, then with view
of preventing this catastrophe con-
ferred with the radical leaders, but
we're informed in no uncertain Ian
guage that the time for compromise
passed and that the strike would
take place as specified.
At IL o'clock the following day. May
18th, the blow came. Let us suppose
for a moment that when you left here
today and retired to your home, your
daily paper conveyed the news that q
| general sympathetic strike was to take
place in your community the following
morning at II o'clock. Let US see then
what would happen as It did happen In
Winnipeg. Your street cars would stop
operation. Your telephone service
would be discontinued. Your newspa-
pers stop. All Of the firemen in your
fire houses walk out and dismantle and
cripple more than 60 per cent Of the
apparatus-ali the employees in your
factories or retail storee-your whole
sale establishments quit work-the ex-
press companies discontinue business.
All of the employees at the railroad sta
tions handling inbound and outbound
goods stop. The elevators in your
buildings quit running. All mail car
riers and employees in the postodice
walk out. Your bakeries and other
plants providing the necessities Of life
close down. Your milk and ice deliver.
. les discontinue and be cut on entirely
because Of labor to handle same. Your
gasoline stations threatened with VIC.
lence and closed up. Glass. tacks and
other destructive material scattered on
the streets to damage automobile tires
and when you left your automobile
stand on a street for a few minutes, to
find upon your return that the tires
had been sliced: that the wires and