“THE EARTH WAS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE.”
THE following we clip from a daily paper, the Enquirer of this city, which bears at the head of its editorial page the union label. It will not therefore be said that it is against organized labor. We believe, from what we have heard from various sources, that the reports are true. This is from the Enquirer of September 17; we give headlines and all:— Five Hundred Brutal Street Assaults.
Black Side of San Francisco Strike is Revealed in Statistics Collected by the Police.
San Francisco, September 17.—Some statistics compiled by Captain Seymour, chief of the detective service, do not bear out the statement that the present strike has been a peaceful one. On the contrary, probably not less than five hundred people have been brutally beaten, bruised, and maimed, probably some of them for life, by the strikers and their sympathizers. This report is considered very conservative; for it is acknowledged that for every single case coming to the notice of the police and the hospital people, there are at least half a dozen which are never heard of. Last night was almost a record-breaker at both jail and hospital. Cases came in quick succession, and the hospital attendants were kept busy until late this morning. One man named Murray, who was beaten at Third and Mission Streets, is seriously injured, and will, without doubt, die. During the month, from the middle of August until the middle of September, there were fifty-four cases taken to the receiving hospital, in which men had received broken limbs, bruises, and cuts, due to riots among the strikers. The police department is somewhat discouraged by the attitude taken by the police judges, who have made a practice of giving all the strikers the benefits of every possible doubt. It is the opinion of the police authorities,—that is to say, of those confident enough to speak,—that the strike would have ended several weeks ago if the strikers had been permitted to have their own way; but certain influences have asserted that they will maintain the strike just as long as there is a possibility of their winning, in order that they may be able to carry out their program. Many times teamsters have told the police that they were willing to go to work if they were permitted to do so, but the matter seems to be in the hands of manipulators, instead of individuals, and therefore the men are helpless. A great many men have declared their willingness and desire to go back to work if they could be given adequate protection, but the long list of victims of the strikers’ brutality has caused them to decide to remain on strike, thus placing in the hands of the strikers the strongest weapon they could have—fear of its members. The work of the police department during the past two months has been fully four times greater than it is normally at this time of year. This is all due to the prevalence of the strike. There is some doubt in certain cases regarding the miscreants who perpetrate the crimes that are reported nightly, and the strikers maintain that they are thugs who have come here, encouraged by the thought that the police are so busy protecting property and the non-union men, that they have no time to watch the other things, and that this will give a good chance for burglaries, hold-ups, and crimes of that nature. On the other hand, the police deny that this is the case, and say that there are no more of this class in the city at the present time than is usual, and that it is only a subterfuge of the strikers to divert attention from the real cause of disturbance—the strike. To sum the matter up, it was said at the Central Police Station this morning, that when the politicians call the strike off, it will be ended. San Francisco, September 17.—William T. Sullivan, a teamster, died at St. Luke’s Hospital this morning, from the effects of gunshot wounds received on September 5. On this day there was a riot on the water-front, between strikers and non-union men, and Sullivan received one of the shots. It is a sad day in America when a man can not enter any legal employment on an agreement between himself and employer without risk to life and limb from attacks by fellow-workmen. This very spirit has been fostered by intolerance of nomenclature. No one objects to a man joining a union if he wishes. He may be no worse for it; it is doubtful if he is any better. There were just as good men as ever lived before the “union” existed. Why should an honest, intelligent working man be called a “scab” because he does not wish to join? If he prefers to stand alone, has he not the right? Otherwise there is involuntary slavery. If one will not be convinced or persuaded by a thousand, they have no right to coerce or compel. We may pity him; but Christianity and manhood will gladly recognize his right to dissent. Violence, such as San Francisco has known the last few weeks, is but a form of lawlessness or anarchy. In an address September 19, at Palo Alto, Stanford University, President David Star Jordan truly said:— Under democracy all violence is treason. Whosoever throws a stone at a “scab” teamster, whosoever fires a shot at the president of the United States, is an enemy of the republic. He is guilty of high treason in his heart, and treason in thought works itself out in lawlessness of action.
But all these acts of violence are but rapidly coming to be the fulfilment of Christ’s words: “As the ‘days of Noah were, so also shall the coming of the ‘Son of man be.’” Matt. 24: 37. In the days of Noah, “the earth also was corrupt before God, and ‘the earth was filled with violence.’” Gen. 6: 11. Christ Jesus the Lord is coming, not in spirit, not in proxy; but in the overpowering glory of His burning presence. Are you ready to receive Him?