The labor world., 1920-07-03

Rebuking mob violence, declar-
ing for the arrest and punishment
Of law breakers, asserting that the
newspapers were primarily re-
sponsible for the growing disre-
spect shown for law and order,
defending the action of William
F. Murnian, commissioner of pub
lie safety, in issuing an order to
the police not to shoot during the
attack upon the jail, and denying
the right of the governor to re-
move Mr.. Murnian from office,
were the salient features of res
olution adopted by unanimous
vote at the Federated Trades as:
sembly meeting last Friday eve
ming.
Discussion on the resolution occu-
pied more than an hour of the assem-
bly's time. At no time was there
opposition to its passage. Some dele
gates wanted it made stronger and
more emphatic. Others wanted it to
include an Indictment against the
governor and newspapers for the long
list of crimes committed throughout
the state during the past three years
in which mob law prevailed, all of
which were condoned by the state
government and the daily newspapers
Mention was made Of the violent
breaking up of farmers meetings by
mobs frequently headed by a. county
sheriff, of the assault upon the meet
ing OF Ernest Lundeen in southern
Minnesota when the speaker was fore
IDLY elected from meeting and
placed in a box car of an outgoing
train, with the chief peace officer Of
the county participating, of the break
ing up of the I. w. w. hall in Duluth
with the acquiescence Of the then
chief of police, Of the tar and feather
parties during the war and of the
lynching Of Ole .Kinkonen, east of
Lester river. These mob crimes were
condoned by the press and public with
the excuse that they were but war
time happenings.'
The majority Of the delegates, how
ever, were content with the resolution
containing but a. general statement of
facts and no reference was made to
specific occurances save that of the
lynching Of the three negroes. The
efforts OF the citizens alliance crowd
to make Commissioner Murnian the
goat were roundly scored. The dele
gates were quick to observe the
scheming and cunning behind the at
tempt to remove Mr.. Murnian from
office, IF they dare to pull off that
stunt" said one of the DELEGATES,
there will be a. wound in our body
polite that will take years to heal.
Can't they see that it is their gospel
of hate that is responsible for good
deal of the disorder and unrest of
which we are complaining
Il think that Commissioner Mur-
nian did the right thing when he is
sued an order forbidding the police
officers to shoot into that mob" said
another delegate. Every person in
the police station at the time was not
participating in the crime. Many were
attracted by the excitement of the
moment. There were a number of
we'll known citizens there who refused
to lift hand to stop the criminal
work of the young fellows who were
leading the attack on the Jail. I
heard of one man ask another: why
don't you get busy and help to do the
job quickly?' The other man replied:
That is not my job, I am here to
pipe off the first police officer that
raises a gum So saying he opened
his coat and exposed good sized
automatic revolver.
Il tell you,' the delegate continued.
IF Mr.. Nurnian had said the word
every policeman would have fallen
and many innocent bystanders would
have been killed. The mobbers were
in a position to completely overpower
the police, and they would have got
ten the negroes anyhow. Had such
taken place Mr.. Murnian would have
been strongly condemned, and I am
not quite sure that the citizens alli-
ance crowd would feel any different
about him than they do now. I am
not Socialist because I can not be-
come class conscious but I have wit