The Washington times., 1934-07-19
CALIFORNIA SEEKS TO DEPORT FRED" STRIKE AGTTk
English View of the
California Strike


of the English view of the California general strike
situation: ...
THE Queen of the Pacific lives dangerously;
seven times she has been swept by disastrous
fires and once by terrible earthquake; but, if
report is to be trusted she has never been in "a
more serious case than at the moment, when she is
threatened, not by any act of God but form Of
suicide. Ct
For two months her lockers have been on strike,
apparently over such grievances as have at one
time or another disturbed the peace of Liverpool
and London. These longshoremen complain that
the casual methods of employment, which rule in
their trade, lead to hardship and favorltism, and
have been demanding changes which the employers
are unwilling to concede.
To force settlement the steering committee"
organized and proclaimed general strike. The
mere rumor and report of this measure is said
to have driven many of the inhabitants in panic
out of the city and led others to hoard food in the
expectation of famine
Yesterday morning the general stoppage began.
The trans did not run; five thousand petrol sta
tions were closed for lack Of supplies; the great
thoroughfare of Market Street was empty, save
for few crawling motors; the water front was
dead and the only life was at Fishermen's Wharf
where hungry people made brisk market in boiled
crabs.
The machinery Of law and order is function
ing after the American fashion. Governor
Merriam is working to keep the railways open;
State troops, National Guards, and special con-
stables have been modified, no doubt with tear
gas, tanks, and machine guns; Mayor Rossi is
using emphatic language against the radicals who
aim, he says, at nothing less than revolution; and
he swears to keep all essential services working
Il HE strikers have graciously permitted hos
pitfalls to be supplied with bread, meat, and fuel
although with Ascertain lack of logic they condemn
equally innocent people who are unfortunately in
good health, to starvation. Such pretenses to
humanity are hypocritical; the strikers in effect
propose to reduce San Francisco to terms bystarva-
ton or what they call food blockade as cruel and
criminal device as can be imagined
They intend, however, to make arrangements to
feed their own people, having heard that the gen.
eral strike in England failed because the strikers
were in the way of starving themselves with the
rest of the population. We do not know how this
lie got abroad; the truth about the general strike
in this country is that the conspiracy defeated
by the British nation which rose up and did its
own work. Such conspiracy can always be de-
feated by the courage of the citizen.
We hope in the interest of humanity that what
happened in England will happen in San Francisco
and that the Pacific Slope will refuse to be starved
and blackmailed into surrender.
IN the meantime, Gen. Hugh johnson is said to
be going to San Francisco, which seems lat
this distance) rather pity. We do not know if
ne IS IN any way responsible Tor THIS particular
strike; but if anyone has ever asked for super
fuous trouble it is the chief of the National Re-
covery Administration.
Either the act, or General Johnsons interpreter
ton thereof, gave the trade union leaders of
America the chance of Selling power. They
snatched at the opportunity; and the result has
been fierce epidemic of strikes over the length
and breadth of the United States
General johnson processes to be amazed at the
result He wonders how any set OF people cannot
settle such quarrels round table, It seems that
he has yet to learn the full possibilities of trade
unionism; and it is probable that he will find much
more to wonder at before long.
1t may prove more difficult than he imagines
to get the genie of trade unionism back into the
bottle
port Constitutional Authority, Secretary Labor
progress Attorney
atonS the strike Cummings Washington thai
maintain law and order complete cooperation would b
PoSSik tho ttee.I Civen