CAUSE OF LAWRENCE TROUBLE

Mr. F. J. Bagocius in his speech on "The Lawrence Strike and the Foreigner," given last evening explained how the foreigner comes to America from the ignorance and degrading poverty of his own country, with the undeveloped mind of a child and almost in the condition of a barbarian. Deep hatred for all other races, and utter contempt for government has been instilled into him, while America has been painted as a Utopia of absolute equality. Instead of that he finds his condition, though better than at home, far below that of those about him, and cannot understand it in a land of freedom.

Labor leaders take advantage of this to sow the seeds of class hatred, talking about the existence of an industrial monarchy in place of a political despotism. Then perhaps the foreigner strikes against his starvation wages, as he did in Lawrence where the average man's wage was $9 a week. Instead of tact and reason, clubs were used by the police in the Lawrence trouble and naturally this only intensified the feeling. The labor leaders tell their men that the troops, sent to protect "life, liberty and property," are protecting property alone; and the men, used to a centralized police in their native lands, blame the United States government for their condition and cherish bitter hatred toward it.

How is this to be remedied? First, we must go among the foreigners and teach them our language and institutions in a friendly and tactful spirit. After that the responsibility rests with the manufacturers, who should make themselves more or less guardians of their people, provide club-houses or other means of recreation, and above all, come into personal contact with the men.