The producers news., 1920-02-13
PACKERS CAUSED
RIOTS, SAYS LABOR
FIunkies Preached Race Hatred
to Break White and
Black Unions.
IMPORTED MANY NEGROES
Union Men Had No Hand in Violence
Prevented Worse Bicodshed by
Exposing Aims Of Profiteers and
Politicians.

Prevented Worse Bicodshed by
Exposing Aims Of nrofIteers and /
Politicians.
Chicago. ht-"The profiteering
meat packers Of Chicago" de-
cIares a. proclamation issued by
the Chicago Federation of Labor.
"are responsible for the race riots
which have disgraced the city"
This labor statement shows that
the packers first brought in ne
sroes rs means OF fighting union
Ism among the white workers.
When the blacks also began to
organize under the direction Of
white unionlsts, city police and
special police were used to break
Up the meetings. When these
means failed, the politicians rep
resenting the big interests pro-
voked the violence between the
two races. The plotters 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 i as
follows:
THE profiteering meat packers OF
Chicago are responsible for the race
riots that have disgraced the city.
''It 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 fired 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 were up to the outbreak of the
race riots.
"The unions met the action OF the
packers by starting to organize the
culored 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
gantzed workers, hoping for the day to
arrive when union white men would
refuse to work beside unorganized col
ored men, so 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 tindel
piled by the packers and the race
riots ensued.
.The only thing that saved the city
from becoming shambles was or
ganixed labor. Night and day the OF
hcials OF the Stockyards Labor coun
ell toiled and fought to hold In checl
the forces Of organized labor-to show
them that the situation was the result
: OF exploitation OF white and blac1
workers alike by the criminals Of BIZ
business and to prevent workers from
assaulting other workers.
Homes Set On Fire.
1T stands to the credit Of the uniol
workers Of Chicago that neither blacl
nor white union men participated II
the rioting, despite the lying account
+! published daily by the kept press.
''The riottag subsidized and the'
t someone llred the homes Of hundred
t OF white workers. back Of the yard
4 and their homes were burned to tn
e ground. The newspapers and tn
I police, Jointly tools Of the packer'
e. triod to convince the citizens tha
0 colored workers had set flre to thos
q homes.
), "Why? It IL perfectly obvious tha
$ the criminals that played race agains
0 race until blood flowed In the street
e OF our city. had carried their wor
e further and made this last enort
!! inAame the Polish and Lithuania
Q white stockyards workers against Tn
Y colorod workers"