The Connecticut labor news., 1923-04-06
Change of Venue Asked By Attorneys Conducting
 Defense of SChleifer
PASTOR APPROVES STAND TAKEN BY
 SHOP CRAFTSMEN

Speaking on "Labor's War and
 Modern Social Conditions" before an
 audience of striking shopmen and
 cil hall to it's utmost capacity, last
 Wednesday evening, Rev. A. ]. Pen
 nell, rector of Grace Methodist Episcopal church, told the men that
 the struggle in which they were now
 engaged was a battle for a better
 social and economic condition to the
 men and their children and urged the
 strikers to continue the battle to the
 end 'If the union is defeated now,"
 he said, it means that every man
 again becomes an individual and you
 vii lhAve no redress for any grieV-
 ance save to grin and bear it till death"
 Ernest Schleifer, organizer of the
 International Association of Machin- ists, who is awaiting trial in the Su- per1or court on charges of radicalism presided at the meeting. Introducing the Rev. MT. Pennell as great friend of labor he urged those present to pay close attention to the remarks of the speaker.
 Reviewing the advance of labor'ss warfare the Rev. MT. Pennell stated that the siege dated back to the time ot government ownership of the rail- roads when wages were placed at a decent level and cited conditions up to the time last July when the men baked at the wage cut, the elimina- tion of overtime and extra pay and declared strike. When the roads refused to arbitrate according to the request of the President the strike became lockout.
 "The great question is how long should man stand oppression with out retaliation" He reviewed the facts relating to "the lockout" and after stating the position of the men and the roads, declared that "the plain facts seem to draw the conclu- sion that the battle is not one of finance but simply one / to kill the union"
 This struggle is vital one to the interests of labor whether union or otherwise, for if the union can be de- | feated 1t means that wages will go | down and all that has been gained | will have to be fought ~for all over | again. Ii will not simply be the go- ng down of wages to living stand l ard: What do these folks care about | l living standard? It will cause wages I 10 be reduced to- the old iron law | of wage If theunion is now de- 5eated 1t will mean that every man | becomes again an individual and you l will have no redress for any grievance | save to grin and bear it till death
 But you say the. roads are organ zing their men so that they can make known their grievances and lave all difficulties righted? Yes, they Ire ,and barring from thence any nan who has any connection with he great labor movement. What are hese organizations? They are con- rolled by the corporation, and for he corporatoin? Any man who dared O raise his voice would soon be dis missed and he too can walk the treets for all they care.
 How are we ever going to ac- omp1ish anything? By banding to- ether and standing together. I now that may seem absurd for me Q say to you when you have been ut so long, but men, it is just as to stick it out now while ou are at 1t as it is to give in and 1ake your children fight it out later You are fighting against a survival f absentee landlordism.
 Those in charge and who p1oce he burdens on you are simply sal ried officials. They are not the stock o1ders They want to do what the { nes higher up have dictated It is { heir interests that are being con- I erved, not the stockholders, not the :, mployes. When there shall be en- l cted a federal law which will com ( e1 the publication and filing of the ames of stockholders of the great | ublic utilities so that the man that t 'orks for them can know for whom ! t e is working, then you will have a