BolshevismCapitalismSocialismSocialist PartyStrikeSyndicalismWorking Class

THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, February 15, 1919 Impressions cut The Lawrence Strike IN the general rush to cut wages the capitalists of By Richard Hansen throughout the world are foreigners where CapitalLawrence have kept abreast of their kind in the ism rules; the real citizens being only those who own other towns of the country. The introduction of a the factories, mills, mines and land the Woods, Mor48 hour week decided upon some time ago, but deStrike Conmittee itself was invaded by a half dozen gans, Rockefellers.
layed on account of the war orders could not be armed brutes and the secretary, Ime Kaplan, arrested They are discovering that so far there is only one postponed any longer.
on a trumped up charge, without even the formality exception Russia where everyone who is capable Government orders began to dwindle, the business despot ever had at his command a more irresponsible and willing to work is a citizen, without discriminaof boys coming home from over there and pouring horde of mercenaries. No crime is too black for Captionwhere the workers themselves decide how the week. The capitalists proclaimed the 48 of workersthough demands hour schedule, carefully representing it as a great strikers are so extremely modest and their behavior They are beginning to see that thus far only the and glorious achievment the 600, 000 working men Russian workers have conquered irrevocably, wrested so considerate that no sane person could call it a riot and women of the textile industry throughout the much less an uprising, the means of life from the clutches of the greedy country. But the capitalists meant wages should be Though the strikers demands are so moderate their capitalists. Germany and England are in process of being freed from the domination of Capitalism. Bolmasters have deterinined that they shall not have the accordingly and apparently it was agreed with the reactionary labor leader Golden that the workers right to refuse to work for less than a starvation wage shevism is spreading. The working class has set out should not have any say in the matter.
but must be driven back to the mills like sheep. Govto conquer their own countries and make themselves citizens. And the workers of Lawrence are becoming But it was not to be expected that the workers ernment experts, in the employ of the War Labor Board, have stated, after a careful and conservative proud of being called Bolsheviki.
would accept such a deal and they demanded that the investigation, that 30 per week is the necessary mi The capitalist press has told them what they thempresent standard of wages be maintained a standard nimum for a family of three to live in decency and selves did not know; that they were foreigners and by no means high, averaging only around 16 a week.
in generally asshe workers of Lawrence, however, Bolsheviki. This is the single truth among the thouIt is obvious that 16 a week a starvation wage in 44 sands of lies that the capitalist press has spread about the full and sinister meaning of the word. The multiasked for this minimum established by Gora the Lawrence strike. This is the great lesson that the millionaires of the textile junkerdom know it, the city ernn ernment experts. They are asking scarcely half as 30, 000 workers are learning from the present struggle and state governments know it, as do the courts and. the strike of 48 54. It is a good lesson for the the Federal government. Nevertheless all the power be reduced. Nevertheless all the bestiality of Capital proletariat of America, and the capitalists will be of the master class, the press and the legal machinery ism is turned loose upon them.
for bringing it home to the workers and for has been directed towards reducing the miserable pay Tens of thousands of men and women, who gave keeping it firmly implanted in their minds by brutality envelopes of the textile slaves by the few cents re their brothers and sons to the army, who bought the and repression. The lesson will not be forgotten.
presented in six hours pay.
so called Liberty Bonds, who trustfully hoped for and 30 affair is piracy. And the industrial ba expected a brighter future after the war are now spar will appear as a modest demand even to the textile acted like pirates. All their local hirelings upon, are ridden down by men on horseback, are rail workers. The workers are learning to understand have been mobilized, but this is not enough. Police roaded to prison, are thrown into misery and want that Bolshevism is the only way out of the debacle squadrons have been imported from Boston, Cam by their savage masters.
created by Capitalism. They will ask for all they probridge, Lowell, even across the state boun In the press and even by the elected officials the duce, they will make real citizens of their dary from Manchester, Like the Cossack workers are reviled as foreigners and Bolsheviki. country. They are becoming tired of being foreigners hordes of Czarist Russia they have been let loose upon week ago they resented this, they thought it was an in their own lands and starving in the face of plenty.
the streets and sidewalks of Lawrence, clubbing down insult, they protested at being called foreigners white The present strike in Lawrence will end in victory defenseless women and men peacefully marching in thousands of them have citizen papers in their pocfor the workers. The spirit solidarity is admirable, the picket lines. After being beaten the workers are kets and are native born citizens. But they are the sympathy for them is general. And the victory arrested and dragged into court where the just maquickly rent:? that a citizen in name is often a will mean something more to the workers of Law gistrates impose heavy fines on the most flimsy evid foreigner in deed. They have started to think and rence than 48 54. It will mean a lot of ence and framed up testimony.
they have discovered that even an American born and the development of class consciousness which are The city government has refused to allow the worker is not a citizen, that they are all foreigners so important for the final deliverance of the workers strikers to parade in the streets. The other day the foreigners in their own country and that all workers from the exploitation and oppression of Capitalism.
it is have not ASORTY The whole cons have Lynn and experience The to Three Socialist Strike Leaflets General Strike:Or?
silent, the steel is rusting in the winter rain, spiders Russia Did It.
Leaflet issued by the Seattle Young People spin their webs from girder to girder, and no ships Leaflet issued by Local Seattle of the Socialist Party slide down the ways to carry the commerce of the Socialist League world. All is silent in the yards. Your labor power Shipyard Workers You left the shipyards to enforce your demands for higher wages. Without you HE profiteers have made millions out of the ships has been withdrawn and a portion of the world stands your employers are helpless. Without you they canthe workers built. Now they refuse these work still. Does not this make you realize your strength?
not make one cent of profit their whole system of ers a living wage. They have forced thirty thous. Can you not see that it is the workers who produce robbery has collapsed.
the wealth of the world and it is to the workers that and men to go on strike.
the wealth should belong? Then why not prepare shipyards are idle; the toilers have withdrawn All the profiteering employers of Seattle are banded to take that which is yours by right?
even though the owners of the yards are still there.
together in their Employers Association. All have a Are your masters building ships? No. Without your common interest in driving the shipyard workers back Strikers! The shipyard employers have confessed labor power it would take all the shipyard employers to slave conditions and smashing their labor organiz that they cannot properly manage industry. They say of Seattle and Tacoma working eight hours a day the ation, the Metal Trades.
The allied bosses want to smash the shipyard work to provide the workers with necessary food, clothing that they cannot conduct the yards efficiently enough next thousand years to turn out one ship. Of what use are they in the shipyards?
ers now so that they can have free hand to smash the and shelter. They are failures. They admit it. But It is you and you alone who build the ships; you rest of the union men of Seattle later on.
These profiteers hate all unionism. They hate the because you have already could properly run the yards sete met the wealth of society today; you make posyardssible the.
longshoremen, the street car men, the electrical work that you could shorten the hours, use onere safeguards they can build the ships. You can. Why don you?
ers, the men of the building trades, the restaurant en and deathmore workers and all others as much as they hate the Metal rangements, give every Trades organization that is ondacting this strike. the necessities and luxuries of life, and still produce needed; you alone can build them. If the masters They want to eat labor piece meal. First the shipthe ships that the world so sorely needs. You could the workers, then the others. So they can make this the shipyards through an industrial organizaan open shop town and cut wages.
tion. You could discipline yourselves by your own uniworkers to Ships themselves and not allowing the only one thing left for you to do.
Divide and Take over the shiovat conditions yourselves; ons. You could select your own managers by of the shipyards youris the motto of the boses.
But we have a better motto. It is together we win! titive test from your own menibers. You could control your own; make the jobs If sixty thousand union men and women of Seattle your jobs and your own lives. You could work as free your own: decide the. lecide go out on a general strike the bosses will cry for mercy. men instead of slaves. And produce the Capital is helpless without labor. The business inter ships at far less expenditure of human labor energy In Russia the masters refused to give their slaves ests cannot afford a general strike. And we cannot than under the wasteful rule of the inefficient industliving wage too. The Russian workers put aside the afford to see our shipyard brothers beaten, because rial masters. Accept the employers apology. They bosses and their tool, the Russian government, and took our turn would come next.
have failed Prepare to take and control the industover industry There is onis one way out; a nation wide general million workers on the Pacific Coast are ready to ries, workers.
strike with vith its object the overthrow of the present fall in line behind Seattle. We will show them a magni Strikers! The world is the workers for the taking, rotten system which ficent ample of solidarity.
and the workers are the vast majority in society. Your aires and millions of paupers each year.
nich produces thousands of millionAll. ugether in the General Strike.
interests are paramount to those of a small handful of The Russians have shown you the way out. What Together we win By Solidarity.
liseless, idle parasites who have the nerve to claim a are you going to do about it? You are doomed to wage title to the shipyards. When a majority of the work slavery till you die unless you wake up, realize that Strike.
ers stand together their mind, muscles and skill will you and the boss have not one thing in common, that Leaflet issued by the S, of Seattle create all the good things of life, and their class the employing class must be overthrown, and that conscious solidarity will allow them to keep all the the workers, must take over the control of your jobs, It was you who made the wheels of industry hum. good things for themselves. You have nothing to lose and through them, the control over your lives instead When the owners of the shipyards went away on but your chains and you have a world to gain. Let of offering yourselves up to the masters as a sacrifice pleasure tours the ships were produced just the same. this be your demand, strikers: The world for the six day a week, so that they may coin profits out of But now that you have left the yards the wheels are workers your sweat and toil.
to manage conquer you could you,