Evening star., 1934-07-17

huge sum, estimated as lllBH as S1,OOo,-
600 900. The trade unions were left
bankrupt.
Seattle's general strike, in 1919,
fed, magnified and aggravated our
labor problems.
Principles of collective bargaining,
the right Of workers to organize, the
Justice of laws governing hours of
labor and conditions under which
labor shall perform its services, are
definitely part Of our economic and
social establishment.
Such questions are not here in
volved. My concern at this time is to
provide protection for all who may be
menaced by any misdirected or violent
action arising from a conflict for
which the general public is not
responsible and of which it has be-
come an innocent victim.
My concern is the feeling of many
thousands of men, women and chill
dren whose ordinary sources of supply
have been temporarily cut off.
It should be borne in mind that no
violence occurred in the maritime
strike at San Francisco until an effort
was made by the police to protect
trucks loaded with shipments that had
weeks.
Received Defiant Message.
It should likewise be remembered
that 1 did not order the California
National Guard to proceed to the San
Francisco water front until l received
notice from an alien, speaking in be-
half of the striking longshoremen.
that further operation by the State
of California of its State owned Belt
| Line Railroad along the State-owned
harbor would not be permitted"
When this defiant message first was
delivered, sent back an appeal for
abandonment of such an impossible
and intolerable challenge of the Gov
ernment'S authority. In response l
received an even more insolent warn
ing to abandon further operation OF
the Belt Line Railroad during the
existence Of the strike.
Before I signed the order instruct
ing the National Guard to take neces-
sary steps for the protection of life
and the maintenance of order along
the water front, the following, among
other things, occurred:
Strikers stopped the States Belt
Line trains, pulled engineers and fire.
men from their posts, threatened them
with bodily injury and used other
methods of intimidation.
Following my assurance to strike
leaders that should operate the rail-
road at all costs, freight car oper-
ating on the State-owned Belt Line
was burned.
Bloody Conflict Followed.
Then followed the bloody conflict
| between strikers and the San Fran
| cisco police. Two men were killed
outright, two others died from their
injuries. nearly a score were severely
wounded and more than 100 persons
were sent to the hospital.
With the arrival of the National
Guard, rioting ceased and order was
restored. Under thoroughly trained
and thoroughly competent command
ers, the National Guard has protected
| life and maintained order up to this
| time without the shedding of blood
and without imposing any hardships
or indignitieS upon any individual or
group.
Acting according to my own judg-
ment and in response to an appeal
from the municipal authorities of San
| Francisco, I have sent additional
troops into San Francisco and other
| points where public peace and order
| have been threatened.
If the troops now in service prove
| inadequate, I shall take whatever
steps may become necessary to serve
the general good.
I repeat, the present walkOut does
not raise any question as to the right
of any man or group of men to strike.
That right is recognized. 1t does not
present to me any question as to the
merits of the dispute between any
group of workers and any group of
employers. Such disputes are subject
to settlement by mutual agreement, by
mediation or by arbitration
1t is my earnest hope that reason
and restrain will dominate the activi-
ties and the deliberations of the
strikers themselves.
Steps Not Discriminatory.
The steps that I have taken are
| not discriminatory-they are not di-
rected against any peaceful, lawful
action or assemblage.
Anything thet can do to bring
this unfortunate dispute to a speedy,
equitable conclusion will be done
To such a desirable end all good
citizens should strive; for the stu
pendous costs Of this strike are felt
and shared by the workers. the en-
ployers and the general public.
In conclusion. I want to say that
there must be no misunderstanding
of my position in this matter
Without unnecessary gestures or
explanations, I propose to meet the
crisis which the people have been
called upon to face.
Every branch of the law-enforce-
ment machinery Of the State has
been called to cooperate with me
in carrying out my duty. A workable
system has been developed in which
farm supplies and other foodstuffs
shall be moved under guard into the
strike area.
Proper protection will be afforded
those engaged in distributing these
necessaries to the people. 1t goes