The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-07-27

the right 10 prevent otIer from accept
ing what they had refused. And here
was the origin Of all the trouble, the
occasion Of all the fearful losses, the
responsibility for all the evils that have
followed, and which are so graphically
described elsewhere.
The attempt to interfere with the
company's right to run their trains was
an outrage which called for the inter
ference OF the constituted authorities,
just as an attempt TO force the employ
ees TO toork against their sciH, JoT
prices they refused, would have called
for the interference of the authorities
to protect their rights. Their interfer-
ence with the rights of Others to work
at a price they refused, was OF the
same character and justified the same
interference. Every man has a right
to fix the price of his OVID labor, just as
the merchant has a right to fix the
price of his goods or the manufactures
the plice Of his wares, but they have
no right to compel others to sell at
those prices; and the strikers have no
more right to compel others to accept
their services at given price, than the
merchant or manufacturer has to com
pei purchasers to take their goods at
their prices. When they present this
alternative they invade the rights OF
others and the peace and good order oil
society alike demand. that they be pre-
vented from enforcing their claims in
so summary a manner.
In their attempts to do this thing,
they have been joined by the most
vicious classes; tramps, roughs, thieves
and emissaries of evil-they have
raised whirlwind they cannot control
and which can only be subdued by the
hand of power and the united support
of the intelligent and order loving
portion of the community. However,
the sympathies of the people may be
with the real strikers, (and that they
have grievances no man can deny,)
right and justice alike demand that
their movements be carried On with
out violence and within the letter OF
the law, and this they must do in order
to maintain the sympathy to which
their claims entitle them. The excesses
which have been INDUCED in, the prop
erty destroyed, the lives lost, the busi
ness interrupted, all lie at their door,
and could have been prevented, but
that they themselves set the example
by interfering with and blockading
the companies property, and giving
the opportunity to vicious and heart
less mob to riot and destroy. In many
places, we are happy to state, the
strikers are coming to their senses, and
organizing to protect property against
the violences of the common mob; this
is well SO far as it goes, but while they
detain the same property from its
owners and prevent its use by them,
they continue to invade law and out
rage justice. If the companies could
not use their property for want of
hands to work 1t. that would be another
matter, and an incident of the strike
in favor of the strikers with which the
public would have no greviances; but
with the property wrested from them
and held under an embargo, their ina
bility to use it even with plenty of
hands to work it, is the enforcement
of an outrage alike against the corpor
ations and the public.
At latest accounts, tia condition of
matters eastward was improving some
what, and trains were beginning to
move. The first impulses over, the
''sober second thought" which looks
at the rights of all and not merely to
the rights of the parties to the conflict,
is beginning to have its way; and it will
triumph in the end, peace be restored,
grievances be redresssd, and q better
era be begun. With so much on every
hand to encourage hopes of better
times, the evils of the past week are to
be deeply regretted and their speedy
end desired.