New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-08
TEE RIGHT OF PREE LABOR.

4
4 their conception of right to themselve
SHOULD not appreciate the equal and COZ
relative right in others. II is moreove
obvious that members of limited an
local community should not, in exercisin
. power of .self-protection, remember tina
| there are powers and interests elsewher
| which may be combined to counterae
and retaliate any such such act of loca
protection. ... -a.U
| 1t was very easy to procure the enact
ment ola State law prohibiting any ex
| cept residents Of the State from laborinl
for wages upon the shores of the Missis
sippi within the municipal Jurisdiction 0
the city of New Orleans. It would b.
also easy to enforce that law by local au
thority, as against the citizens of our own O.
other countries in treaty re lasions with ou
country, who may chance n the pursuit,
Of commerce to be within this port
But in the protection of local interests BY
local law, it should not have been for.
gotten that the interests Of others are in
volved, and that power even superior to
our own may be invoked.
The law known as the longshoremen's
act gives virtual monopoly of the right
to load and discharge vessels in this port
to the laborers resident here. 1t directly
and inferentially denies the right to per-
form this labor to the citizens of other
States and countries.
This virtual monopoly has been an
nulled by recent decision of the courts.
It was anticipated by all impartial and
logical minds that had considered the
subject t
1t was but a. recent decision that the
slaughterhouse act was lawful under the
power to impose upon all men an equal
disability to labor in particular calling.
It was lawful to do so in this case, be-
cause the power to protect the common
health by sanitary regulations carried
with it the power to suspend all men from
any special occupation deemed injurious
to the common health, as all men NAV
be prohibited from digging up and ex-
exposing the subsoil, if it be deemed by the
sanitary authorities a cause of common
disease Thus the right of all men to
labor in killing beeves and pigs was not
thought by the court to be involved in the
Slaughterhouse act, albeit that act was
deemed grieyous monopoly. But those
who insisted that the rights of free labor
were invaded by the act, made this indis.
putable assertion: 't - ..-
The abolition Of slavery and involuntary
servitude was intended to make every one
born in this country a freeman, and as such
to give him his right to pursue the ordinary
avocations of life without any other re-
straints than such as affects every one, and
TO enjoy equally with others the freits of
his labor. II.
A prohibition to him to pursue certain
callings open to others Of the same age,
condition and sex, or to reside in places
where others are permitted to live, would
20 far deprive him of the rights of free
man, and would place him, as respects
others. in condition of servitude. A per-
son allowed to pursue only one trade or
Calling, and only in one locality in the
country, would not be, in the strict sense of
The term, in slavery, but probably none
would deny that he would be in q condition
# seryitude,
This reasoning of Justice Field is |
founded on the amendment of the federal
which declares that call per-
IONS born or naturalized in the United |
States are subject to the Jurisdiction
hereof, are citizens of the United States,
md of the State wherein they reside" 1t |
hen forbids any State to make or enforce
my law which shall abridge the privileges
" immunities Of citizens of the United |
States t......-- f--
1t will be found, then, that any citizen
# the United. States residing in the State
# Maine coming into the State of Louis
ana and proposing to pursue the very
ordinary avocation" of rolling a barrel
shore out of the ship he came in, or
,oisting bale Of cotton into the same
hip-or any other, for that matter
Exactly the same right to do this or that |
lct as any other citizen of the United |
States resident in Louisiana.
1t behooves our fellow citizens to re-
member that the security of these rights
vas neither limited to locality nor race!
\ citizen Of the United States-a man of |
.olor-going from his residence in Lou
siana to Maine viii have the same rights
t Bangor as at the Balize. 1t will be
proper for those who have received the |
invaluable right to labor in any calling
nd to receive to their own use the fruits
# that labor. which once went to another,
o act with caution. 1t is for those who I
njoy this sacred right to guard against
lenying to others what has been guaran-
eed to themselves; guaranteed, it may
'e, by the blood and treasure of all. The
ime was when a colored man coming
rom Massachusetts, into Charleston and
tanning the right of free labor, was ar
ested and a special ambassador came to
olicit his relief. These truths should
lot be forgotten by those who owe SO
nuch to their adoption. |
The combination to demand a certain
ate Of wages is not Illegal Freemen
re not compelled to labor at all. They
nay set any price on their services, and
S none can be compelled by law to pay
hese rates, SO no law can compel the
reeman to take less. When, however,
his combination gees SO far as to pro-
ibit any other freeman from selling his
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