Life, 1926-05-20 · page 20 of 44
Life — May 20, 1926 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page discusses the British coal miners' general strike (involving 4.5 million workers) and its political implications. The editors debate whether the strike represents economic justice or revolutionary threat, with references to how Prime Minister MacDonald and opposition leader Baldwin each view the situation. The key comparison is to Italy, where labor unrest was violently suppressed by Mussolini's Fascists using "black shirts and castor oil" (a brutal humiliation tactic). The editors warn that while Britain should address miners' legitimate grievances through buying the mines, permanent solutions cannot come "at the cost of free speech." The implicit warning: ignore workers' real suffering and you risk inviting fascism. A separate item notes John Adams Abbott's exoneration from charges of disrespecting Mussolini while serving as a tour guide in Italy—illustrating American tensions with fascist regimes.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Published by LIFE $98 Madis Surawooo, Editor inti this issue IVF goes to press a number of activ ities have started. the results of ich cannot foreseen big o of the lot is the general strike in Eng land with f million men out, coal mining ped. ds net When English uni Mr finds leclared a The allenged general strike said gover rnative of democratic freedom ¢ which, if successful, can on subs! tyranny that the situation was “not a revolution, » which MacDon jist machine had dispute but plain economic 1 said that the cap: broken down, and that the job that ressed was “to transforn italism British cap into higher which “I believe,” he sa for the something will justify itself n historical evo! Briti sles, 1 eve in revolution fort here ar t have that can overtake ut we a cl m the worst thir wiety.” Mr called a ganized react win's government he powerful, No Brit- vernment he smoothly ¢ said, had mishandled the real business of the had. nation more than this one In his opinion the single Tories shift’ the t from the backs of th was to financial burden of governm| well- to-do to t to the tall this trouble to masses. coal problem, which has 2 head, one PUBLISHIN Avenue rs Dawa Gtasox COMPANY New York Maxw ond Treasurer reads words of a Yorkshireman quoted from the Vale “The miners are the worst-paid workers England The coal owners have been condemned lly as an incompetent body of men, whole been ¢ and the system of private owner ship has sastrously wastefu MacDONALD, think wel Mr. ald »ment at many dd newspapers, this land, think ve Baldwin. He seem the kind of approbati Mr Mac! aca and in F well Mr idge gets un Mr ald is for 1k; Mr, Baldwi ar has a id he ha looks to be for Engl. ‘ase too, and has besides 3 very high-grade thoughtful-busin: man’s intelligence. Now, then, what will our cousins Will it be all this paper comes to its read- this situation . or have gone from bad to We Labor broke loose there, quit worse know what happened. in Italy job, nothing was being done and along Mussolini castor oil i came the Fascisti_ and with black got things moving again, and they are mov shirts and still and are as satisfactory to a part of the public and to most visitors as Prohibition is Italy ing large > Judge G: Sut liberty: in is considerably ex- time England, Free speech for the detunet Black 1 rce may do something in shirts but nothing in that island will be per manently purchased at the cost of free peech and the other n partic- jars of liberty. looks over there from the nt distance of 3,000 miles, the that looks too big to essary expectation arises this strike will be settled soon, It last. If it goes on and goes strong, it means universal loss. The threat of a general strike had to be met; but the e can see that, case of the miners must somehow be medicated, and. the natural medication seems to be to buy the mines. HE predicament of John Adams Ab- hott of Boston, direct descendant of the illustrio Adamses of that and the by-no-means-to-be- sniffed-at Abbott family of the city, immured in Italy of a guide for spez of Mussolini, town, also. of same on the accusation ing disrespectfully has engaged the attention of all our newspapers, but especially, of course, of tt Happily the Boston. that Mr Abbott has been found innocent of the se published in papers announce ffenses charged and let out of jail He has had more polit Adams has had f¢ From notices than any a generatio: what one read about him and his picture as the papers print it, the impression is that he ty good Black Shirt ssible produced would make a pr himself. It is 4 that he fell into overemphasis rebuking a lone nothing discreditable to the coun his origin. ~ Barf Vk KX be NOWLEDGE both Ding’s Those propensity their great value and of course it adds and happiness the the are increased by return of cartoons to newspapers. have an ineradicable > speak the truth. That is pictures to it that they minister so copiously to entertainment Oscar lived STRAUS a good while died. He and to excellent has purpose. He was strong for social service, skilful in diplomacy, especially Southeastern Europe, greatly re- spected by politicians and highly compe- This last he had to be copious and Democrat Repu A Jew, born in Germany, he was esteemed and honored by whichever party he cast his lot with tent in business. hecause he steady He can in was a giver was a and a turn Put him down as a successful mar E. S. Marti comicbooks.com