Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-02-23
"COSSACK' BILL
MAY BE PASSED;
ACT RIGHT NOW

Springfield, 1n.--There is grave
danger that the anti-labor forces In
this state will put over State Mill
sion of the legislature. II the organ
lzed workers in Illinois back up
President Walker of the State Fedora
ton and officials of the Illinois Mine
W orkers. who are opposing the bill,
that danger may be averted. But the
workers should not go away with the
impression that the bill will be easily
killed. 1t is evident that powerful in
terests are behind 1t.
The Chicago Tribune came out lasr
week with an editorial defending the
bill and urging its adoption. Ii is
known that the bill finds favor with
organizations opposed to organized
labor, who see in it cheap method
of breaking strikes by the use of Cos
sacks, paid for out of the public
funds.
Every worker in the state should
either write or talk to his legisla
tive representative urging him to
vote against this pernicious measure.
If there is still any doubt in the
mind of any worker as to the real
purpose of this bill let him recall the
actions of the Pennsylvania constab-
ulary during the steel strike Of 1913.
In his story of that strike, w. H.
Foster says:
Their 1.-THE Pennsylvania state
sonstabulary) ostensible duty Is to
patrol the poorly policed sections Of
the state, and this they do when they
have nothing else to take up their
time. But their real function Is to
break strikes. They were organized
as a result of the failure of the
militia to crush the anthracite strike
of 1902. Since their inception they
have taken an active part In all i'm
portant industrial disturbances within
their jurisdiction. They are the
hearts darlings of Pennsylvania
great corporations. Labor regards
them with an abiding hatred.
The state police do not eonfine them
selves merely to the crude business OF
braking up so-called strike riots.
Their Torte is prevention rather than
cure. They aim to so terrorize the
people that they will cover in their
homes. afraid to go upon the streets,
to transact necessary business, much
less to congregate in crowds: Ihey
play numerically upon every fear and
human weakness. They are skilled,
scientific terrorists, such as czarist
Russia never had. Upon a thousand
occasions they beat, shot, jailed or
trampled steel workers under their
horses hoofs in the manner and un-.
der the circumstances best calculated
to. strike terror to their hearts"
Mr.. Fosters description is SUB
stantiated by affidavits from scores
of workers who had been assaulted by
the Cossacks. The commission OF IN
ouiry of the Interchurch World
movement which investigated the
strike has the same story TO tell OF
the brutalities of the state police.
In her book. "Men and Steel" Mary
Heaton Worse, an eyewitness to the
vicious activities of the state constap-
ulary during the steel strike says:
"Now the state troopers appeared
in all the steel towns. They broke
mn meetings. They rode their horses
into the workers very houses. In
Maddox no assemblies of people
were permitted. They rode down
men coming from mass. Steel work,
ers could not assemble. They chased
the children Of Father Kazinci's par
ish school.
at is terror you know" one Of the
organizers said to me, when you re
on foot and they ride down upon you
and YOU see their three foot not CLUBS
raised above your head'.o
This is the system that leg1sla,,
tors serving the interests of the coal
onerators of the state would impose
upon the people Of Illinois. What
are the workers going to do about IT :
Pull Champaign Co
Out of the Mud