Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-05-05
STRIKES
By John Bush


If any man can convince me and
bring home to me that | do not think
or act Alright, as regards labor and
capital, gladly will I change for /
search after truth, by which man
never yet was harmed. But he is
harmed who continueth on in his de-
ception and ignorance.
Labor strikes is a subject upon
which more has been said and written
than any other since the world war
was brought to a conclusion. In the
view of the writer strikes are ma
licious, they are promoted by selfish
learned men who control the wealth
of the nation, not by those who pro-
duce wealth through production and
the consumption of products. Labor
strikes, with all the uncivilized ac-
tivities and anguish that follow in
their wake, is an effect due to the
activities of selfish interests.
To explain in detail all the debasing
chicanery and sharp practices re-
sorted to to promote their project and
bring about the desired effect, space
will not permit; furthermore, the pub
lie mind has become so likened to the
potter's clay that is fashioned at the
will of the potter, that few if any
would believe anything except that
which they read in the public press.
The present so-called miners strike
is a glaring example of capitalistic-
ally promoted strike. The writer,
from June Fl until March 25, was in
the employ of the Western Union
Telegraph Co., and during that time
travelled over the greater part of Ohio
and portions of Pennsylvania and
West Virginia, which afforded him an
opportunity to talk with hundreds of
miners, none of whom expressed any
desier to strike. "They are going to
lock us out" was the answer given
by all when asked what they intended
to do on April first.
The reason why big business can
promote strikes and lay the i'll results
at labor's door is due to the fact that
American journalism is a class insti-
tuition, serving the rich and spufnlng
the poor. About nine hundred daily
newspapers in the United States,
comprising the great majority of the
journals of influence and circulation,
receive and print the news dispatches
of the Associated Press. This means
that concerning any event of I'M
portance an indentical dispatch is
printed about fifteen million times,
and may be read by thirty million
persons. According to the construc-
tion and wording of that dispatch SO
will be the impression these thirty
million persons will receive and, the
opinion they will form and pass along
to others. Here is the most tremen-
dous engine for power that ever exist
ed in the world. If you can conceive
all the power ever welded by the
great autocrats of history, by the
Alexanders, Caesars and Napoleons,
to be massed together into one vast
unit of power even this would be less
than the power now welded by big
business which owns the press.
Thought is the ultimate force in the
world, and here you have an engine
that causes thirty million minds to
have the same thought at the same
moment, and nothing on earth can
equal the force thus generated.
Well informed men know that the
great controlling interests have Sc
cured most of the other sources and
engines of power. They own or con-
troll majority of the newspapers,
magazines, pulpits and politicians, and
most public men.
Strikes are the effect of a cause,
the public is always told of the effect
but not of the cause. The conditions
on the Atlanta, Birmingham and At
lanta Railroad is fair example that
will give the average person some
by employers for the sole unrpose of
antagonizing their employees
It's manager proposed about year
ago to ignore the transportation act
and to make a cut in wages. The cut
was posted on the boards. The en-
ployes thereupon appealed to the Rail-
road Labor Board which promptly
nullified the proposed cut and directed
the manager to confer with the en-
ployes on the proposal to reduce
wages. The manager refused to do
this, but conspired with a creditor
whose debt was not yet due, and
caused a collusive suit for receiver
ship to be filed in a Federal Court.
The judge promptly appointed the
manager as receiver, and upon his
own request, without notice to the
employees, authorized him to put in
the same cut in wages which the La
Dor Board had ordered him to with
draw. The employees thereupon
ceased work and entered upon a strike.
To their appeal the Labor Board
ansewred that, since the Federal
Court had appointed a receiver the
Labor Board had lost jurisdiction.
There are hundreds of similar cases
which the writer could quote which
tend to make obvious the power of
big business. When they want pro-
duction they get it, and when they
want depression they promote strikes
and lay the blame on labor.