The Seward gateway., 1922-09-14
coMPOUNDlNG CRIME

Why is it that most of the union leaders, as soon as a crime is commit ted by men identified with organized labor, speedily send up smoke scree1 yociferously proclaim an allbi and at tempt to place the burden of the crimt where it does not belong. 4 short tlm' ago a rather prominent leader decln ed to defend such crime. This cas, was such an exception as to be con spicuous.
 The thought is called to the fort again by the confession of severa striking shopmen at Chicago that the. pulled the spikes and loosened th' rails which sent the Million dolia. Express" of the Michigan Central in to the ditch causing three deaths ant that they also had plotted to Wreci the Twentieth Century Limited in in diana.
 Ii will be recalled that on the day ;; coroner's jury returned Verdlct t'. the effect that the wreck had beel caused by the act of persons unknown in pulling the spikes from the rails, verdict based on the testimony of fort! nersons including six ol t3e nrew, :h' vice president of the railwaymens or ganiZation at Chcago came out with | flat statement that the wreck was caused by defective equipment an( that the attempt to lay the blame oi the shopmen, even by implication, was a gross wrong. Ills Ia n; crate more than the ul4innEy no'lce at lht time because it was so at vafIan:> with the findings or the coronerS jury.
 And now the five men, charged viii, murder in connecLi0r with that wrec!. confess that they cGmGittei the cIlm- which sent innocent passengers to their deaths and entailed heavy prop erty damage.
 This newspaper believes that -thl attitude on the part of the leaders strike movements does more injury tt the cause of organized labor than any thing else. It brands the men It s2onsl ble for such an attitude as compound CTS of crime. It leads the public to th' natural conclusion that their state ments, whether right or wrong cahno' be credited. It leaves the unmistakable impression that they place the solid aritv of their organizations above tht love for law and order, their loyalty to their country their devotion to JUS, tice. Their attitude of defending crime without personal investigation and Ill the face of overwhelming evidence Is an encouragement to the wrongdoers and contributes to sinister move mant to break down our entire socia order.
 Numerous instances might be cited all of which are fresh in the public mind. Possibly the McNamara crlmt at Los Angeles is the most consplcu- ous. The Steunenberg murder is an other On many occasions even Sam uel Gompers has attempted to ex tenuate wrongdoing. Only recently prominent national labor leaders trlec to condone the Herrin massacre, one of the most cold -blooded outrages ever committed on the American con tinent, by laying the blame on the mine owners for importing non-unlo1 men to the Herrin fields.
 These are the things that are hurt ing organized labor. How much more sympathy would flow to them if tht leaders, before rushing to the defense of criminals, would demand an impar tial investigation, and call for the pun ishment of the guilty regardless 0 who they might be. Until they dC adopt that American attitude they vii continue to forfeit public sympathy though their cause be righteous.
 Cooper at Urbach's store. 190t