Evening star., 1926-06-19

The SoVtetS or RUSSIA IeeA ds
crieved at England. for the Con-
serva tives of England are SO OPP
pressive" that they interfered with
the general strike and stopped the
freedom of the Russian Soviet fed
erations in sending millions OF
pounds sterling to help their English
"class brothers" in paralyZing IN
dustry and overturning the govern :
ment of Great Britain.
This interference of the English
government" protest the Soviets, I'm
the mutual relation of the Russian
and English workers is an attempt
to infringe the freedom of our work :
ing class to give fraternal aid to the
workers of other countries. in wnat-
ever form and to whatever extent II
is deemed necessary. The Union OF
Soviet Labor Federations expresses
decided protest against the interfer- r
ence of the English government In
the affairs of the Russian workers
and declares that organized labor IN
orr working republic will not allow
any one to dictate its line of con-
duct"
Some six or seven decades ago
a noem was written, purporting TO
depict somewhat the same attitude;
As vonce I walked by a dismal swamp
There sOt an old cove in the dark ano aamp
And at everybody as passed that road
A stick or stone this olu cove tnIoweu
And venever he flung hls s11Ss me- sone Gf n' s'on'
I'm a quiet old cove says he, with groan
''All axes is. Let me alone
The Soviets have done a great deal
of talking about their program to or
sanize a general strike meaning
a complete and simultaneous strike
of all Industries throughout the
world. I'm which fhe wage earners
would array themselves on one side
and the Capitalists together with
civilized governments, on the othef
IAN they axes is. Let us alone.
In the midst of the coal strike OF
England there came general
strike" more or less successful al
first in tying up all transportation and
that stopped food distribution. This
general strike, while it lasted, was
iust what the Soviets had been long
ing for, and this is how it turned out
The magazine called Industry and
Labor Information, which Is an organ
of union labor in England, salo' eoi
torially, May 10, 1925:
During the later stages OF 1he uls
pute fthe coal strike) the General
CounciI of the Trades Union Congress
interyened. in order to find a formula
which would permit the continuance
of negotiations, and 1t was as result
of the rupture of this body ana the
government that the area OF the dls'
pute was widened by the calling or
general strike"
1t is noted that when the genera
strike was called it was at once a
strike, not against employers, but
against the English government.
In a speech by President William
Green of the American Federation OF
Labor. made in Denver, June l5, Mr..
Green said:
IA general strike means that the
line of industrial conflict is 1mmedl'
ately changed so that the conflict
seems to become a. contest between
employees and government, rather tnan
between employees and employers. The
real issues of the strike are sub
merged and are lost sight of in the
maelstrom of public opinion and pub
lie inconvenience"
So the actual occurrence in Eng
land, as reported in the labor organ,
is recognized by President Green as
inevitable in all general strikes. 1t in
wolves the general public, whose
spokesman is their government;
hence, he argues, in our republic all
general strikes would be revolts
against our Government of the peo-
pile. by the people and for the people
all the people, not a class-inclusive
of the wage earners.
About 10 days after the general
strike in England had been called 1t
collapsed, and the same Official labor
organ reported the collapse. After de-