Milford chronicle., 1934-10-19
KOHLER OUTRAGE
REVEALS AMERICAS
GREATEST DANGER
KENNETH F. BALDRIDGE, President
National Editorial ASsOciafiOH, in
Bloomfield (IOqva) Democrat


A mile of shattered windows and
doors at KOhler, Wisconsin, bears
silent but realistic testimony as to
the violence and savagery of an un-
controlled mob. These windows are
symbols of warning to every Amer
ican citizen. They stand out as a
danger signal of the terrorism that
lies ahead If organized labor per-
sists in using violence to force all
industries under the banner of the
American Federation.
Back in 1880 the National Editor
ial Association delegates to the Ma
tiOnal Convention at Milwaukee Wis
tied the Kohler plant. They saw this
remarkably-planned, industrial COM
munity, in its beauteOus setting
They saw the wOrkmen's homes set
in spacious grassy lawns with bow
ers of roses and other flowers i'm
every ward They saw homes that
were built by the Kohler Company
and sold to the workmen on easy
terms at cost, without a penny of
profit to the Company. They saw
the model industrial village of the
world, a beautiful little city where
each home was individual in design
and setting-a town with all the ug-
illness and squalOr of the old style
industrial town Obliterated.
Comment of the publishers at that
time was that here was one spot in
America forever free from indus
trial strife. High wages were paid.
the hours were not long, and the
working conditions approached the
ideal.
One day recently the writer had
occasion to visit Kohler. He found ii
impossible to enter the town with
out a pass. Strong barricades clos
ed every avenue and road. leading
into KOhler. Before the huge FAC
tory buildings long lines of pickets
rot residents of the village paraded,
carrying an American flag, and urg-
ing wOrkmen to refuse to earn bread
for their families in order that un-
iOnism might triumph in this battle |
Of its own choosing and its own /
1t was the usual strike picture. No |
details were lacking. Peaceful pick
citing has been going on since that
mad night of a few weeks ago when
he beleagured defenders of the fac
Ory faced a bowling, crazed mob
ed by agitators, the majority of
whom had never been employed at
he Kohler plant. This mob had only
me thought. one purpOse. That was
o destroy. Two lives were sacrificed
hat night. Many were injured. The
writer saw nearly u tTucklOad of
leadly weapons picked up from the
Clubs of the type the
'avemen used were standing side
" side with cute instruments de-
igned to punch out the eyes of COM
,atant, slingshOts, and various
ther types of weapons reminiscent
# the days of the Spanish lnquisi-
ion and the fiendish torture cham
ers of the Medieval Age.
This riot was staged against
losed plant No production was go
lg on, none had gone on from the
rst day of the strike.
And why did this riot-this strike
occur? 1
While the union demands included
)urteen points, most of them must :
ave been of minor Importance. for 9
he union leaders, in meditation con-
,rences in Chicago, were ready TO
bandOn or at least postpone"
,em. Some of the demands were {
II things the Company already was &
ping, had been doing for years. g
Tiers, such as a 62h per cent
age increase and 30-hour maxi G
um work week, were evidently in S
Icements to get rank and file wor- e
ers to strike. All these demands /
ere postponed" What was left a
nd this evidently is the sole major I
sue-was the demand that the un-
N be recognized as the sole bar e
aiming agency for all KOhler en- b
oyees, including those who do not
ant the union to represent them. c
Only a small fraction of the Koh- is
r workers desire such affiliation, |,
: took an active part in the strike. n
hat is shown by the fact that, in D
election conducted last Thursday n
the National Labor Relations j
)ard. the plant employees, by an
lchallenged vote of 1868 to 643, X
ose as their collective bargaining Il
,ents, not the striking union, but fC
e Kohler Workers Association. a.
lich the strikers had vainly pc W
iOned the Labor Relations Board dl
dissolve as an illegal company m
ion" Nevertheless these loyal d;
en-, living in as ideal conditions as st
y industrial workers in the world, -
re forced in defense of their at
mes to take up arms as special NJ
lice sworn in by the village gov m
nment. The Company had no pO- hs
e or armed guards. That such st
nditiOn could exist in America y6
Uses a shudder of apprehension to te
sep down the spines of patriotic We
lericans, who see in the KOhler de
TRACE a warning of what this ma
n faces. Apparently the labor Isl
ders crazed and drunk with pow ici
have decided to go the limit to tic
ain their dream of an American pl
lpire ruled by their organization. tn
is lust for power and loot is the of
: great menace this nation faces tr'
it's gallant fight for industrial re- re-
cry, without which there can be tn
national recovery for the farms, du
factories, or the nation as a wi
ole. an
s this man Walter Kohler, who tn
!ds the Kohler Company, mons de
? Does his record show that he to
been unfair to labor? Is he, or thu