New-York tribune., 1877-08-04

There has been, if We rightly understand the
language of the resolutions adopted unani-
mously on Thursday night by the "lndepend-
cent Bread Winners League" an "unprece-
"dented exercise of despotic power" i'll this
country; not only in this country, but in this
State and not merely an abstract, but con-
crete exercise of it, with very specific
instance and pointed illustration. 1t consisted
in the arrest of Barney j. Donahue. The In
dependent Bread Winners League not only pro-
claim a solemn and indignant protest against this
unprecedented exercise of despotic power" but
they propose to orally all the friends OF free
" dom and justice and dcnounce the arrest as
IAN attempt to peryert republican government
" into an intolerable despOtlsm." There may be
here and there about the country IA friend OF
freedom and justice who has not heard OF
Barney j. DOnahue's arrest, perhaps indeed
though such ignorance seems incTcdible-has
never heard of Barney j. Donahue. And no
friend of freedom and justice could reasonably be
expected to pull himself together and rally, and
denOunce the attempt to peryert Republican
government into an intOlerable despotism by
the arrest of Barney j. DOnahue unless he
knew something about Barney D. and the
causes which led to his being, so to speak,
de-spotted by the dcSpots. Not that the friends
of freedom and justice question for a single
moment the sincerity or the earnestness of
the Bread Winners. At the Bread Winners
call every friend would rally of course. But
they would rally with more enthusiasm in the
cause of Barney D., if they knew clearly what
was the matter with Barney J and what par
ticuar form OF despotsm had got hold of him.
We may say this for the enlightenment of
the friends Of freedom and justice, in order
that they may rally intelligently, that Barney
| j. is a bread-winner. And he might add, in
! the light Of events, an ill-bread-winner.
From recently published sketches of what may
now, in the light of his incarceration, be called
| his career, we gather that he has hitherto pur-
sued the calling of railroad brakeman, and
| that while so engaged he has distinguished
| himself among employers and employed by
/ the vgOr of his cheek and the readiness
| and rapidity of his chin. He recently dis
| agreed with the persons who employed him as
| to the amount of wages to which, in the present
| state of the labor market and depressed con-
| diti0n of business, he was fairly entitled. As
an Independent bread winner, Barney j. gave
notice 10 the dcspOts who employed him that
named And the despots, with the GOODNESS
| that has characterized despotism iii all ages,
said "Vcry wei, Barney D., we part with
"you with regret. You have admiris-
tered the brakes Oh your train with
ga degree OF skill and ability that
rises almost to genius. If we put green hand
"on i'll your place, 1t viii take him twenty-four
"hours at least to learn the whistle signals and
"bccomc a competent brakeman. But as there
" are plenty of men waiting for work at the
"waecs We Cllcr, and rs we cannot afford to pay
"morc, We shall be obliged TO let you CO."
Then mp rose Barney >. in his capacity of
bread winner, and unloosed the tangled slack
of his vehement DISCOURSE Not 50, my deS-
"pot.1 said Barney j. There be several Of
"us, and We have rights. There shall he no
brakes turled to-day, except We turn them