Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-04
SPEAKERSPUT
STRIKE VIEWS
BEFORE CROWD
Six Hundred Persons Hear Ad
dresses Delivered at
Gibson Park.

Addressing an open air meeting Of
about 600 in Gibson park for an hour
Thursday night, two speakers placed
before a quiet crowd the position OF
the shop crafts strikers and the stu
alton which holds at the present time
over the state.
Ludlow of the Machinists' union was
the first speaker introduced and de-
voted the majority of his time to an
expository address on events leading
up to the strike order, which took
effect July l.
Dwelling on the formation of work
ers' organizations during the war in
crafts where there had previously been
no organization. he declared that this
was a necessary move prerequisite to
efficient transportation at the time,
both to expedite troop movements and
to nullify efforts of the /. w. VS..
He stated that the labor board was
undoubtedly the mean by which many
of these crafts continued in existence
at the time the roads were turned
back to private ownership, March l,
1920.
Says Roads Violated Decisions
He then discussed the controversy
between railroad executives and the
board and reviewed the alleged viola
tions by the executives of the boards
decisions. His claim was that there
were So distinct violations of these by
the railroads, particularly on the score
Of sub-contracting. Ludlow stated that
there had been none of this in Mon
tana and practically none in the north
west.
He gave as the imm ediate cause of
the strike the second al cut. claim
ing that this was made in the face of
a rising cost of living. Applause greet
ed his assertion that $40 men of the
shop crafts had been out on strike in
Great Falls for 80 days without a
man returning to work. In closing, he
asserted that the strike was n would
be entirely of a peaceful nature and
denied that there had been or would
be any violence or intimidation on the
part of the strikers.
He was followed on the platform by
Mike Holland of the Sheet Metal
Workers union, general manager of
the local strike committee. Mr.. Hol-
land devoted the majority of his talk
to his experiences on a recent trip
made over the Great Northern system,
in which he spent considerable time in
such points as Whitefish. Wolf Point
and Cut Bank. He also denied that
there had been any acts of violence
committed by strikers, although he in
sinuated strong that there had been
attempts to foment trouble from other
sources.
He recalled that he personally told
United States Marshal ]. l.. Asbridge
at the inception of the strike that he
had full control OF the strikers and
could promise that there would be no
violence. and would cali on the marshal
in event of inability to control the
local situation. In this connection he
roundly scored the call of Great Falls
business men on the governor in
Helena recently, saying that there had
not been and would not be any need
for troops in Great Falls. He declared
that the cost of guards to the Great
Northern railroad in Montana was a
quarter of a million dollars and said
it was preferable for this to continue
rather than for the people to pay the
expenses of militia which were not
needed.
In closing. he reiterated Mr.. Lud-
lows assertion that the strike was to
be of a peaceful nature and declared.
1--WE shall put our hands into our
pockets and our thinking caps on our
heads and screw them down a little
tighter and just keep on fishing until
We have Won"