Page 11 - The 1923 Strike in Steel and the Miners' Sympathy Strike

ISSUE : Issue 22

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1979/6/1

pealed to by a series of falsehoods and recital of incidents of which no record can be found, of which no actual witness of the crimes outlined have adduced. Maritime Labour Herald; The strike of the miners is not a wage strike. It has noth? ing to do with the contract that the cor? poration maintains exists between the min? ers and the companies. It is a strike for the defense of the workers against the armed troops sent here to force men to work for low wages. It is a strike called to protect the labour movement from the attacks of the capitalists and their gov? ernment forces. The great phrases of "lib? erty," "freedom," and "constitutional rights," seem to have been forgotten when the profits of the British Empire Steel Corporation were in danger of being re? duced through granting a slight increase in wages to the steel workers.... Chief McCormick of the Sydney police, asked by the Post if the troops should be removed from Sydney, said: "Such action at the present time would be the height of folly....The mobs of striking steelworkers were never absolutely under control until the provincial police ar? rived on the ground, and even then they defied until orders were given to the moxmties to charge into the rioting crowds. There is only one way to meet force of this kind and that with counter force. The best evidence that the Attorney General of Nova Scotia acted wisely in sending the police here is the fact that"since the mounties charged and batoned the mob there has been peace and quiet in the strike district." Post, July 5, 1923: Further battalions of troops from as far west as Ontario and Manitoba are en route to Sydney and the strike area to the south. For what pur- ,pose, it is asked when there have not been any riots here or in the colliery dis? tricts during the present week. The answer is that the mines of the Domin? ion Coal Company are rapidly filling with water, and should immediate assistance be not obtained millions of dollars worth of valuable property is in danger of being rendered worthless through flooding of the pits. True there is no trouble at the mines for the simple reason that the strikers have things all their own way. They have driven maintenance men from all the pits leaving only inexperienced officials and other "white collar" volunteers to man the pumps and fans. At Dominion No. 2, perhaps the most costly equipped and most valuable colliery in the world, a little band of volunteers has been working night and day in an effort to keep the water from ris? ing, but despite their most strenuous ef? forts the tide is going against them. Post; SENSATIONAL ARREST OF U.M.W, LEADERS J, B, MacLaohlan, Secretary, and Dan Liv? ingstone, President of the United Mine Workers of America, District 26, were ar? rested late last evening at Glace Bay U.M, W, headquarters, by chief of police J. B. McCormick, acting on instructions received from Hon. W. J. O'Hearn, Attorney-General of Nova Scotia, by telegram. The move was wholly unexpected. No oppo? sition was raised by the two men who qui? etly accompanied the chief to the city, where they spent the night in jail. The charge under which the men were appre? hended was that of publishing false news ($ Owen Fitzgerald Photographer 54 Prince Street, Sydney V'3.pC DUGtOri Available Soon: The Fortress of Louisbourg A hardcover book of photographs by Owen Fitzgerald with text by .John Fortier, Superintendent of the Fortress • $12.95 Owen also offers a selection of original photographs of Cape Breton and the Fort? ress of Louisbourg, in brown mats with gold trim • ready for framing. 8 x 10 • $18,50 5 X 7 • $12,00 Owen Fitzgerald portrays the coastlines, landscapes, cities, villages and farms, people and lifestyle of the island, in a manner that will endear this book to all Cape Bretoners and introduce the island to all Canadians. Photographs by Owen Fitzgerald Owen Fitzgerald, himself a Cape Bretoner, has captured the mood and character of. the island in a book of 88 unique, full- colour photographs published by Oxford University Press • $9.95

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