The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-05-27

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Radical labor groups in this
country have adopted the sit-down
strike as the means of dominating
and controlling industry. This form
of violence and outlawry was i'm
ported from Europe. 1t was the
means by which the industries of
France were taken over by the So
cialists and Communists.
The sit-down strike is a bold de-
fiance of the Constitution and the
government, and is challenge to
the courts, the executives, peace
officers, and civilized social order.
1t is not a strike. 1t is the act of
Selling property that belongs to
others, and holding ii by force for
ransom. In principle it is a COM
bination of robbery and kidnapping
with open defiance of government
added
The nature of crime may be hid
den from the ignorant by the use
of respectable names, and by gross
ly false claims of justification.
Bank robbers may justify their
crimes by the claim that they are
simply raiding the rich in the in
terest of the poor But this trick
cry does not nlislead anyone who
is mentally capable of compre-
bending the serious nature of the
crime against property rights
The most serious aspect of the
sit-down strike is not the strike
itself. Few of the men engaged in
these strikes, ii is believed, under
stand the nature of what they are
doing. They are accustomed to ac-
cept as sound the ethics of their
leaders, especially if their leaders
occupy high places in government.
The really serious nature of this
problem is the startling fact that
government executives in the high
est state and national positions have
not condemned it. For officials of
the government to condone crime
is far more serious to civilization
than the crime committed.
Representatives of the chief ex-
ecutive of the nation and the chief
executive of Michigan volunteered
to act as Intermediates between
the owners of property and defiant
workers who held it for ransom, and
urged the owners to make con-
cessions in order to induce trespass-
ers to give up the property they had
taken by force. But they uttered
no word of condemnation, nor even
of criticism, against the strikers.
The owners Of the property that
had been seized were criticized of
fiT1 n mn ~ oyfft cge. -
was spoken against those who had
unlawfully seized property
The protection of property rights
has been, from the earliest days,
the basic principle on which civil
izations have been classified. Ma
tons that fail to give protection to
property rights are classified as
semi-civilized or uncivilized The
emphasis placed on this principle
is not due to an exaggerated con-
ception of the value of material
things, as uniformed people think
The emphasis is due to the fact
that respect for the property rights
of others is the basis of moral char
acter, as well as the foundation of
civilized citizenships. II is only
where property rights are protect
ed that other human rights are re-
spected, and civilization has adj
vanced. Property rights are hui
man rights Of the first order, and
were so regarded by the author of
the Ten Commandments. Respect
for property rights has Teen tie
hasis of Anglo-Saxor. civilization
from the beginning.
If lawless groups may seize the
property of others and abuse 1t,
cause great loss to owners and hold
it for ransom with tacit consent of
public officials, we are either re-
ceding into an uncivilized state, or
we have made a great blundar IN
condemning the ethics of barbar-
ism. If employees may raid the
property of employers and hold it
for ransom, then customers, de-
positors of banks, tenants of apart
ment houses, and guests of hotels. |
may act likewise.
If this principle is adopted, of I
course, our Constitution and the
Ten Commandments must be. re-
pudiated. Likewise, our common
law and statute law are out of date,
and lawyers must 60 back to school
and learn new system of law, and
it will be necessary for our judges
TO take trip to Russia and sit at