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THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 123
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1923
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
PA
The Railroad Strike--By a Scab
The railroad strike of last summer
was not as serious as the coal miners
strike, but it represented, on a small-
er scale, the same general problems
and the same manner of treatment by
the employing and working classes.
And in the Pennsylvania Railroad Sys-
'ten, the strike was particularly bitter
because Vice President Atterbury is
the most powerful opponent of organ-
ized railroad unions in the country,
and because the Pennsylvania system
is the only railroad that has success-
fully made it a policy to deal only with
a Union which was organized under
the P. R. R.'s rules, in other words a
"Scab" Union, one not under the wing
of the A. F. of L. Because of this the
strike was waged with more severity
than it would have been otherwise.i
Luckily or unluckily, according to
the view point, many students are
forced to find lucrative jobs in their
summer vacation to enable them to re-
turn to the University in the fall. One
of the most recently developed classes
of jobs open to students is that of the
"Scab." Why the term, Scab should
have been chosen to signify this occu-
pation is hard to understand, but it
certainly implies the feeling intended
by its coiners-that of infinite detesta-
tion. A Scab is a person who willing-
ly or unwillingly tills a position va-
cated by a striker during the tenure
of the strike. The more dignified term
which is sometimes applied to such a
person is that of a "strike-breaker,"
although it is not usually the intention
to break a strike when a job is thus
sought, nor does it usually have any
great effect in doing so.j
I started to work as soon as school
had concluded last summer as a labor-
er in the shops of the Pennsylvania
Railroad in a large port on Lake Erie.
At the time I was employed I was to-
tally unaware of the strike which was
being planned, and looked forward
to an alhlsummer occupation. tMy
job, however, was less than two weeks
old before the nation-wide railroad
strike was called and I was forced to
consider whether' I should leave or to
keep it to insure a return to school
in he fall. The latter course was de-
cided upon.
The ?orming when the strike was
called saw little work accomplished-
in the shops although the men were
upon a piece work basis of pay. T'he
laborers were divided into three gen-
cral groups; those who were strongly
in favor of the strike, being mostly
composed of young, unmarried men,
those who were opposed to the strike
and those who were in sympathy with
the Union cause, yet who were afraid
to go out. This latter class is of con-
siderable size in every strike and is
placed in a dilemma. In this clas
are those with large families, and the
men who have spent many years in
the service of their company and are
working for pension rights which will
be immediately outlawed, should they
go out with 'th'' "gang." They fear to
stay at work, and they are afraid to
leave. If they remain they are ostra-
ized, their families, insulted, their
property endangered, and their chil-
dren threatened. If they leave it may
mean a loss of a life's savings, while
out of work, and the loss of years of
efforts towards pension rights.
At this psychological moment, the
Union was on the job. Emissaries
were sent around to help the men
make up their minds. I was "inter-
viewed" in a most forceful way by a
man whom I recognized immediately-
as the champion boxer and wrestler
of the shop. He told me that unless I
should leave with the "gang" it would
go hard with me later on. My decis-
ion had been previously made, and I
was able to enforce it at that time by
heroically keeping out of sight of any-
ole I thought might have an interest
In my course.
Very few of the men went out wil-
fully. Probably three-fourths of those
who left their jobs did so because of
fear, fear of danger to self, family or
Property, should they stay; the fear
of becoming a Scab. But when they
had once become strikers they realized
that they would be treated as such
by the company regardless of their
in linations, and so they became as
CHARLES HO-AIwould be better to become a.:thief
than a Scab, and he was personal
[,convinced of t-he had' it drilled i
ardetn supporters and prosecutors of ingimen were interviewed, and toldhimfrom. his earlepfencesthat
the strike as the leaders' themselves. that if by .a certain time their bus-any"person who shoulddisagreewith
it -was an interesting.sight to- sit on :bands did nt stop works 'somethin" any prson who so -sre Uitn
the the opinions' and acts "of the 'nion
the top of a freight. car in the yards i would happen. ' would commit an unpardonable crinY
and look over the tracks to the en- Actual violence was not wanting F
1.. ~From my: eperiece .I foundR that
trance. gate a Quarter of a. mile away. any times were men brought.into.the stisikebreakers and' ' the ordinary
and watch the strikers gather. They .shops by passersby from the gutters kworkers before -the strike was called
congregated in large band, and theyI of the adjoining streets- where they were of about the same class of 'hu-
marched up the street beneath the had been left unconscious by their in-ys
'RedFla. Ths i illstrtiveof I.nanity, both about the same cultura-
Red Flag. This is illustrative of a #terceptors. It was a daily occurrence
grave danger to American Unionism, to find the houses of the workers, soally and afr sdrdsonal
I advantges and nmo lstandards were
doubly dangerous because it works painted with yellow or black daubs concerned. And when I put the qties-
from within, the influence of radical according 'to the effectiveness of the
unretraned abo leders ltis tion to marny of them, they were frank
and unrestrained labor leaders. It is contrast. Houses were incendiarily in almost every case in answering me
fortunate that to date America has burned and in some cases the Union that they thought a Scab was a detest-
been less subjected to this type of in- firemen who were in sympathy with able and despiable type of mangen
i fluence than have European countries, the strike refused to turn water on the rally, and that they were sorry to e-
and it is a necessity for the preserva- blaze but confined their efforts to pre- forced to he employed as a strike-
tion of American Labor Unions that venting the spread ef the fire. Per- breaker, but that in that particular
men of broad training should be plac- sonal injury was often committed, butbralertybudtsat n tammprtia
ed in these important positions; pre- in the locality no fatalities resulted. case te cold sea ty i-
tora] o colegetranin. Ivowved in working because they did
terably men ot college training. It was early found imperative by not believe the strike to be called on
It was interesting to note how a the company, in order to insure the severe enough grounds to arrant a
week of the strike had sobered their 'retention of any workmen whatever, general walk-out, and that it was re-
zeal,- and to see how the better opin- to provide sleeping and eating quar- cessary for them, for their present
ions of the labor leaders prevailed, ters for the men who thought it bet- and future positions to keep at their
when they came back to the gates of ter not to leave the shop-yards'at all. work. This is the attitude generally
!the shop ten days later to receive their And for those who wished to be at held. Where it is necessary to be
pay envelope for the time which they home with their families, armed taxi- employed as a Scab, one usually finds
had worked:since the last pay day, cabs with policemen were provided, the reasons which will permit him'
Ithis time congregating beneath the but even these were no protection for conscientiously to continue so.
Stars and Stripes. the men. On- one occasion 500 men An interesting instance of the effect
The first week of the strike was and women gathered at the gates and Aniwtrtigingsteke wffec-
f working during a strike was pre-
more or less of an experimental stage when the taxicabs tried to run the sented to me by "Andy Car-Knocker"
in which there was an armed neutral- gauntlet, i nspite of the fact that they a jovial pleasant, friendly Scothman
ity between the Union and the strike- contained armed policemen and that w o continued at his work while his
breakers. But after a week, when there were other policemen surround- father and brother went out with the
it was found that the strike was to ing the mob, bricks, rocks and other strilkers. lie told me that he was
continue "to the last ditch," the Un- iiiissles were hurled at the machines. bcreed to carry a gun to protect him-
ion started in, as did the railroad com- completely demolishing the enclosed c, from his brother, who, lie had
panies, to organize and carry out an portion of the cars. The worst of- learned, was "laying" for him on ac-
effective siege and defense. Every tenders were the women, the strongly count of his refusal to join the strik-
possible method was utilize;] to con- emotional women, who felt the effects ers. He said that he did not expect
vince the men who were working that Of the loss of their husbands' jobs' ever to be spoken to by either of
it would he better for them to quit. first, who delighted in running out at these relatives. This was a revela-
Pickets were placed at the corners, a cab, yelling ."Scab" and hurling t tion to me. yet I found that similar-
and it is no pleasant feeling to walk brick at the occupants, much like a circumstances existed in many in-
alone past a corner where ten or little dog ciasiig an automobile :11 stances, and they demonstrated to
twelve men are openly hostile to you his boulevar, and stutting back what an extent the Unios do have a
and awaiting an opportunity to "get proudly to tell the neighborhood how hold on the laboring men.
y-ou" while the policeman is note did it Yet many Sabs are forced to agree
watching; and the policemen were Previous to the strike I had been with those 'who prosecute them, the
very frequently not watching--often- 'advised. kindly, not to become a Scab. labor-unionists, that if properly led,
times voluntarily. Wives of the work- My adviser had said to me that it (Continued on Page Seven)
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The quality that differentiates between man and brute is man' power
*olooking ahead. To look back over the past, to visualize the future, and
then to plan to 'make hs dreams come true-that is man's sphere and his -
,alone.
In every case where material satisfaction is sought the savings bank
of today can and should play an important part. Unless your bank is
r -
helpng ou ealize your dr-eams and build your air-castles you are being '
cheated of an important share of what the world of today can give you. '
This bank has erected homes, established industries, in short has helped to
make the dreams of Ann Arbor come tru e.
- -
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The Ann Arbor Savings Bank
Sthe toplnthi s nk ofaFrendly Sert ie"
hResourcesa $5600,000 Two Ofbces
cheaed f a imortat sareof hat he orl of tody cn- ivey-u
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into.actual existence for his-reader. labor problems. If th public is not
He embues them'withmorethai eye- in some way aroused from its leth-
satisfying beauty-a hint of real per- argy of unconcern, by touching its in-
sonality and atmosphere. It is per- terest through its pocket Book, or its
haps this delicacy which gives: to the convenience, great changes in the line
_book its "one ineongruous note and of progress or to correct maladjust-
that -is 'an'-'old-worldliness which. ments or the .rotth f ourindustrial'
makes casual reference to the automo- steam roller can not have hope of'uc-
bile and electric light startling. cess in the face of the strong opposi-
Clergymen should greatly enjoy this tion of the employers.
novel, and those people who are exper- To a college student who wishes to
iencing that sense of religious ques- obtain first hand information upon
tinning and doubt so adeptly named j vital labor problems of the day, who
" a phase of youth," whether they be is willing to coop himself up in shop
very old or: quite young. °yards for weeks at a time, and to work
twelve or fourteen hours a day for
HOBBS'PACIFIC CRUISEseven days in the week, I heartily rec-
ommend for his summer months the
CRUISES ALONG BY-WAYS OF THE profession of the Scab.
PACIFIC, by -.William- Herbert
Hobbs. The Stratford Company.
Reviewed by R. C. Hussey A TALK WITh A NEW YORK
It is very refreshing to find a man of EDITOR
eminent scientific attainments who
can write a popular book in a style at (Continued from Page One)
once clear and pleasing to the average national life; and there is certainly
reader, and still deal with subjects of room for improvement.
great interest in the world of science. "The greatest flaw in the 'youth
William Herbert Hobbs, head of the movement,'" continued Di'. Gay, "is
Denartment of Geology at the Univer- its ridicule of the Puritan tradition.
sity of Michigan, has given us just Insofar as Puritanism was anti-aes-
such a. book in the last work called thetic, I do not deny that it was de-
"Cruises Along By-Ways of The Pa- plcrable, but Puritanism as a moral
cific." The book is one of the results force was of inestimable potency in
of. a trip which Prof. Hobbs took dur- the success of our nation. I believe
. ing 1921-22, to certain islands of the that an important contributing factor
Pacific in search of furthe^ evidence to America's attainment of her pros-
concerning the origin and growtu of ent high estate was the Puritan tra-
mountains. dition, and that the foundations of our
Professor Hobbs is a keen observer, national greatness will crumble with
and he has an important advantage the disappearmance of the Puritan ideal.
over most men of science in that his The target at which most of the ar_-
interestsdo not end with his own field rows are now being shot is America's
of Geology, but extend to the varied lack of culture, its Philistinism; which
aspects of nature. As a result of this earned the conteimpt of Matthew Ar-
larger interest the book contains a nold and other distinguished Britons
wealth of most interesting observa- in no uncertain terms."
tions on the life and customs of the Dr. Gay referred to the recently
people who inhabit these little known tullished "Civilization in the United
islands of the Pacific. Many of the States" (Harcourt, Brace and Co.) as
places which Professor Hobbs visited a book of remarkable value. "It is a
had never been studied even in a frankly critical examination of
superficial way, and this lends an add- American society by a group of thirty
ed interest to the book. men, each a specialist in his own field.
Not many of us would deliberately This is a book which could not have
choose to go through, some of the ex- been written in the eighties. It re-
citing adventures that Professor veals a keen perception of some of the
Hobbs experienced and even greatly salient defects in American life at
enjoyed. A terrific typhoon, almost present. I 'have an even greater ad-
. at the beginning of the voyage, threat- miration for Stewart P. Sherman's
cned to bring the expedition to. an un- new book, 'Americans.' Sherman is a
timely end. but the skill of the Japan- convincing champion of the Puritan
ese navigators frought the boat safely tradition in his best sense, and is a
through. constructive force of real effective--
-- In work of a.. reonnaissance nature ness.
the explorer is quite likely to uncover "Do I think it possible to attain ti-
a number of new problems, as well as nancial success in journalism at the
solve some old ones. As a result of same time maintaining the highest
Professor Hobbs' trip many fascinat- ethical standards? If I did not, I
ing ines of investigation are suggest- should wish to die tomorrow, The Ev-
ed which will prove of great interest ening Post is not yet an unqualified
to scientists. It is to be hoped that business success like the Hearst pa-
sufflcient money may be found, to make pers,' but I am certain that clean,
the necessary borings which will set constructive journalism is in no way
tle the much-discussed question of the inconsistent with profitable enter-
origii of atolls. prise. To allege that they are incon-
The difficulties which Professor sistent, is virtually to affirm the hope-
Hobbs met in his work, and the meth' lessness of real progress towards civ-
icby which he overcome these diffi- ic betterment. I do not regard the
(ulties, furnish many dramatic situa- Hearst papers, the Nation, the New
tions throughout the book. The Unit- Republic and the Freeman as con-
ed States and Japanese naval depart- structive forces in the national life, al-
ments cooperated in an unusual man- though I never read them without
ner, and helped greatly to make finding something which is thought-
the trip a success. provoking, and I recognize the value
Unlike many books of travel there is of their existence as incentives to pro-
quite evidently no padding here. ach - gress."
scene passesrapidly before the reader Another much-argued phase of jour-
without much loss of time or trial of*nalism-the function of a newspaper
'patience. Oneof the best things about in regard to public opinion; was
the book is the sense of humor which touched by Dr. Gay. "A good news-
the author displays, always a valu- paper both guides and reflects public
able thing when traveling in out-of- z opinion," he asserted. "If it functions
the-waylaces.at all it must inevitabl mirrrr
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YNDON & COMPANY
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THE RAILROAD STRIKE-BY
A.SCAB
(Continued fron Page Two)
and if indulged in only Nvhlen there is
a severe grievance, the strike is the
only weapon which can be effectively
used to obtain for the workmen the
iveals set for them by people who
have thought sympathetically -about
ernment."
In appearance. Dr. Gay belies his
age. Until informed that he was 56, j
I should have guessed that he was
about 48. Above medium height, his
hair slightly grayed, his keen black
eyes set deeply in a face of strong in-
telligence, he is the very soul of ani-
mation in his mental processes. The
superabundant nervous energy of'
many newspapermen does not radi-
ate from him physically but his Pos-
session of more valuable attributes is
clearly perceptible. He stamps in-
delibly upon one the impression of a
thoughtful, widely-informed intelli-
gence united with a phersomiality of
rare charm.