Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1882-05-20
MINING JOURNAL,
FRosTBURG, MD, MAY 90, 1882.


gheny county court. The Waverly
coal company are plaintiffs and
Messrs. Armstrong & Telford, proprie'
tors of the National Labor Tribune
and D. R. Jones, Miners ASSOCIATION
Secretary, are defendants.
The plaintiffs charge libel and con
spiracy, and demand damages in tn
sum of $4,000. The libel specifica-
tions allege persistent and uniformly
false publications with reference to
quality of plaintiffs coal, style Of
business and system of employment,
houses and accommodations for min.
ers, etc., thereby ipjuring them both
in the labor and coal markets. The
conspiracy count charges collision on
the part of defendants to incite dis
satisfaction among plaintiffs miners;
Of aiding with money and provisions
certain parties no longer in plaintiffs
employment 10 persuade others to
abandon work in plaintiffs mines, and
to keep those seeking employment
from engaging work, and go on.
All these, it is presumed, the de-
PENDANTS deny or. if admitted, that
the peacesble means used justified the
end of aiding oppressed fellow. work.
men to escape from the tyranny Of
hsartless corporation.
The issue involves th cir right to do
this peaceably, although the suit is
leveled ostensibly at Armstrong. Tel
fore and Jones. In other words, i. is
sought to have the court decide not
only that such publications and organ
lied effort are libelous and unlawful,
but that the right of laborers to or
ganize for the maintenance of uniform
wages is prohibited by law.
On the other hand, it ia feared that
in order to convict the defendants the
old English conspiracy laws will be
resurreoted and invoked-laws abro-
gated by the great declaration of hui
man rie hts, but, strangely enough.
never formally revoked even in this
country. Add to these statutes the
hundreds of cruel, bloody presidents
which sprang from the civilization
which enacted and enforced them, and
the dangers to organization for self
protection accumulate.
If there is anything which jeorar-
dies popular rights more than the
existence of barbai ous statute, it is
precedent instituted by an enforce
ment of such statute. Under long
existing style Of legal and judicial
procedure these ae quoted as "au-
tlo-ities." an6 "authorities" are he'd
as proof conclusive that the law is
immutable if not irrepsslable. And
the more such fossilized citations are
multiplied the tighter the raansclea
will be faetensd upon the limbs of la
Dor and labor's posterity.
The right to organize for any
peacsable purpose ought TO be undis-
puted, especially when the masses in
this country have never denied it to
any association, capitalized or other
wise. On the contrary, they have en-
couraged and sustained that right 30
long and so far that they find their
immense contributions in that dirsc-
ton have we'll nigh stripped them
selves naked. They have yielded,
yielded, yielded rights and privileges
until these overshadow like Colossus
the few that are left.
The issue of this suit Will determ-
inc very definitely perhaps whether
the remaining vestiges Of personal
liberty must be surrendered by the
creators Of corporations to their crea-
lures. They are imperiled in an IN.
friendly Safe. 1t behooves those on
the watch-:ower to scan the horizon
closely. The cloud is larger than a
mans hand.