Frostburg mining journal., 1883-02-17

dent that the other must yield. The
employers brought all the non-union
men they could find here, and did
all they could to induce and sntice
union men in Baltimore to 60 TO them.
The workmen stood together and
held their own men, and captured as
many of the non-union recruits as
they could. There was no moral,
and can justly be no legal difference
between the action Of the two parties
to the contest. Then finding them
selves beaten on American ground
the employers combined to send a
man to Belgium to emtice away from,
employers IN that country number
of these so-cslled "pauper laborers" Of
Europe and bring. them over here
and they brought quite number.
The workmen were not rich enough
to meet this move in Europe, but
they met the imported lsborers on
their arrival and appealed to their
sympathy with labor to induce them
to go back, paying their passage ior
them. 1t seems to US that the two
cortending parties were on par
here again, except that the employers
We're by their action giving the lie to
all their fine professions about
tariff for the protection of American
workingmen against the "pauper Ia
bor Of Europe. They combined TO
break down the strike by imr rorting
such labgr and the workmen combined
to prevent the success OF the new
expedient. They were successful,
whereupon the employers lost temper
and rushed to the law to beg the
State of Maryland to come 10 their
help by declaring that it was lawful
for them to combine to defeat the
professed object of vast system of
revenue legislation by the Congress
of the United States, but criminal
conspiracy fer their opponents to
combine 10 save their own interests
threatened by this wholesale import
alton of labor.
This is the gst Of the whole mat
ter, and we ask lovers of fair play,
let their avocation be what it may, if
they think this just and honorable.
Of course, it is the law, and if the
Court of Appeals of this State shall
sustain as applicable to new and mod
ern conditions decision based Oh the
existence fifty years ago of the rsla-
tions of master and servant, We must
bow to it, but thsnceforward there is
but one thing for the workingmen of
Maryland to do, and that is to JOIN
hands to secure legislation that shall
wipe out by statute all such law by
construction and judicial interpreta-
tion. They must postpone all other
considerations to this and stand TO-
gether in one solid body to defeat any
political party that does not promise
the abrogation Of such a law and
make its candidates mea who can be
trusted to keep that PR mise in sin.
cerity and good faith. The working
men Of Maryland. black as wsll as
white, are free men, and they must
see to it that no Law stands here which
makes them serfs none which makes
combination of their employers to
maintain the price they have fixed on
labor innocent and laudable, and a
combination OF workmen to maintain
the price they have fixed criminal
conspiracy. Equality before the law,
fair field and no favor, is the right
of all, and it will be queer indeed if
the majority will submit to have it
denied to them by the laws supposed
to express their will and to derive
therefrom their scsn,y and binding
force. In the face of this decision ty
Judge Phelps, despite the fact that it
incidentally favors the defendants on
technicality, ther. should be no de.
lay in the organic .tion Of labor to de.
mand justice and equality before the
law.-Baltimore Day.
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