Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-06-02
PUBLIC OPINION
is ANALYZED BY
MISTER DOOLEY


"Phwat Is this 'coort of public opin,
ion I've been reading so much about
of late, Dooley ?" said Mr.. Hennessy
What, don't We know" said Mr.
Dooley; "again | am surprised at your
ignorance, Hennessy."
"Sure, public opinion is what your
misleadin' statesmen say is the .eoorl
of last resort in labor disputes. F'l
| instance, ye will doubtless have OBJ
served in your profound literary re-
searches that the coal miners are pre-
parin' to resist any further reductions
in their prisint enormous wages
which are the chief obstacles in the
way Of the coal operators continuin'
to derive several hundred per cent
profit from the coal which the Lord
put into the ground for their special
benefit. Ye will also have noticed
that Mr.. Hoover and other govern
ment officials have stated that the
stage seems TO be all set for a strike,
which will be settled by this same
.coort of public opinion although
there's some inclinin' to the belief
that Mr.. Attorney Gineral Daugh-
erty has privately made other ar
engagements such as injunctions, the
military, tear gas bombs and the
like.
"And how does this 'coort of public
opinion work, says you? Sure, tbs
this way, Hennessy. The high mucky
mucks of the coal industry, with the
unselfish assistance of Misther Gary
and other noble frinds of the people,
sind out call to the free and indi-
pndint press to git busy and tell the
people what a bunch of highwaymen
the miners are for blockni' the way to
a return to that wonderful normally
which the war temporarily interfered
with. FIR instance, the editer of the
Saturday Evenin' Post Is instructed
to print an article shown that labor
in some of the coal districts where the
miners are organized is receivin' the
princely wage of no less than six
round iron men a day. The Saturday
Evenin' Post iditer throws up his
hands in horror at this outrage, and
Immediately orders one of his bright
lads to write the article, being very
careful to tell him to lave out any
mintion of the fact that these same
six dollar miners only git in about
142 workin' days in the year.
Naturally the two million readers
of the paper which ould Bin Franklin
started (and it's too bad he didn't
finish it), conclude that the miners
are a gang of graspin' varicious cut
throats and minace to the country.
The miners, not havin' acciss to the
free and indipindint press have no
way of correctin' the impression, and
that, Hennessy, is the way the great
'coort of public opinion gifts its wi
dince.
$50 you see, Hennissy, the public
only gets q chanst to read one side of
the argument, and as it's easier to
believe what the papers say than to
bother about investigatin' the thrue
facts, the miners, like lot of other
poor divils, get the short ind of the
eoorts verdict.
"The truth of the matter, Hinnessy,
is that ginerally speakin' there's no
such thing as public opinion there's
only a manufactured opinion, and If
you will now resume your intelligent
study of the great dailies and week.
lies and monthlies, you will discover
that the said opinion manufacturers
are not Numbers of organized labor.
There's just wan thing more,
Dooley," said Hennessy. 81 see Mr..
Harding said it was the fundamen-
tai right of labor to organize and to
bargain collectively through ripri-
sintitives of their own choosin', and
notice that the coal operators have
refused to meet the miners riprisinti-
tives.
Wouldn't it have some influence on
this public opinion if Mr.. Harding
would say the coal operators was in
the wrong refusin' to meet the min
ers? continued Mr.. Hennessy.
"Sure, it would, sure it would, Hin
Messy" said Mr.. Dooley; "but he
won't say it."