Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-07-28
THE ENGINEERS REBELLION.


character and attained dimensions, 4
almost as soon as it started, for the :
designation of which such world =
far from adequate. A misunder- =
arises between a railroad
company and its employers in which
either party may be in the rlght or
what is more likely, neither party
entirely so, and forthwith the en-
plovees take possession of the rall-
road property, and command that
traffic shall cease on it under pen
aItv of death to passengers or EN-
blowers who shall presume to use II
for travelling purposes without thelr
sanction. This is what it amounts
to; and this is war against the Peo-
pie of the United States.
Let If at once be promised that
there is nothing unprecedented In
this transaction except its dimen-
sions. Strikes have been conducted
as lavlessly as this before now, only
not ON as large a scale. Whatever
violence, whatever wrong may have
:, forp,er times been perpetrated,
ito direct effect has been limited to
the CAPITALISTS and labOrers engaged
in some one department OF INDUS
try; now its bearing is unlimited;
no citizen of the United States Is eX-
emption from its dictation, VINO
desires tn travel or to send or receive
ANYTHING by railrOad-all are equ-
ally denounced, and the denuncla-
tion amounts to this You shall not
travel, you shall not enjoy the pleas
ure or profit dependent upon com
merciaI traffic unless our claims shall
first be complied with, and the pen
airy of disObedience is death-death
without trial by jury or sentence by
Judge and of the justice OF the
claims in behalf of which such
Draconic Jurisdiction as this IS instl-
tuteI no one is to judge, no one Is 70
he entitled to an opinion, except the
parties directly interested in the de-
cision; their Judgment in their OWL
case is to be absolute and irreVersl
BILE. and the penalty Of resisting 1t l,
death-deathu underline mOstterrlDl'
circumstances with which death car
be invested.
OF course it is absurd to suppos'
that the people of the United state
will submit to such an iDlpeTiun1 a
fmDerio as this. To suppose tina
would be to suppose that the Who'll
manhood of the nation had died out
for what is practically proposed D.
the strikers is that the governmen
of from three to six hundred men
IN he substituted for that of the pee
nile of the United States; that tn
ridiculousIy small minority is
rule with absolute power, selt-col
stituted as they are, and the thirt
millions of the people are to subm
without a shadow of deliberatlN
discretion in the establishment
such a government or in the dem
ton of the laws by which they a
to govern.
1t IS ours to rule, it is yours to su
NIT and death is the penalty: the
are the terms offered by the striker
Itisnot thequestion, then, werepe'
whether this is to be submitted u
ON that there can be no quesu
whatever; but the question Is VIII
is our apparatus, what is our orga
ization for resisting this, for strlkl
itdown and crushing it? It'll TIM
millions against six hundred, a
vet men are looking one another
the face and asking what Is 10
done. The governors of three Sta
have declared their inability 10 CO
with IT. and have solicited the
of the United States in doing so, a
the aid which the United States
give seems Iamentably small G.
sidering the rapidity with WI
the rebellion is spreading. 1t may
said that in n few days, in week
two at the utmost, the whole IN
VIII be put to rest. We trust tina
is 80. but a few weeks did not SUI
tn nut down the coal riots in Pc
svIvania, and it took many year
brino the most atrOciOus offend
to Justice, and even now Cover
Hartranft. who boosted how reaC
he could raise 200 men to sea
usurping President, finds 1t dim
to raise two small regiments OF
than 300 men piece for the p'
of the society and the protectio
property.
II is not, then, the atrocity of
rebellion, or even its dimens
which make it so serious, as tn,
4oI absence of means for NEE
such an emergency. To haV
wait for weeks before we can
preSs such a highhanded usurpa
of power, and meantime to hay
make terms and parley with
usurpers-this is to offer prem
ON future enterprises of a simila
ture.
We must have hereafter an or
ization and apparatus compete
deal promptly and with sunni
Justice upon such outbreaks
what is il to he,
\ standing army?
All, how gladly promptsome
arewith thisanswer: oh yes, as
ing army large enough to gar
every state with an overpow
force towards which mhesit
submission is the only poSsIh
titudc.
A standing army! Why
months ago an excuse for esta
inc one would have been hail
the Blaincs and Buffers, the
rantfts and Grants a the most
ons incident that could help
,,roiect of usurpatiOn. Ever
i;ttIe army we had was made
efiieient engine for setting ash
will of the people and estahl
+hst If an INSCRIPTIONS hc'
~ fbanE Won no