Morning journal and courier., 1886-07-23
BOycOtting, Legal or Illegal.


 The editor of the News says: "We have not the smallest sympathy for boycotting. We consider 1t detestable practice, whether it be directed against an individual or a cor poration We consider it an injustice, an abuse of personal liberty and an injury to society,""
 But the editor thinks that it is not illegal
 We'll, then, concede that boycotting is an 'Finiustice, ,' Gan abuse of personal liberty" and Gan injury to society,"" It must also be conceded that boycotting from its very terms is carried on by a combination of individu- als.
 Boycotting is then the work of several persons in combination, engaged in acts of Injustice" in acts of "abuse of personal liberty and in acts of ''injury to society,"" Are such combinations legal or illegals Bishop in his treatise on criminal law says: ''There are many circumstances in which combinations of persons, in skill and en- deavor, for the promotion of evil, portend danger and call for legal interposition, when the single efforts of individuals might pass unnoticed by the law, which does not take cognizance of all wrongs"
 1 Another learned writer says combinations are illegal which are to 'Finjure third per son'' by 'Fruining his reputation, trade or profession" ''Of this class are conspiracies to impoverish man by preventing him from working at his trade" These are instances 1 of combinations ''to abuse personal liberty" | Again the writer says: Combinations are il- ] legal Ito do an act not unlawful in an indi- l inta f0 into a design of injurious tendency to the public" ''Of this nature are conspiracies to maintain each other right or w1ong."
 l There are combinations, as the learned ed- itor puts it, which are an ''injury to soeie- ty."
 1 The distinction between the editor and the writers on criminal law seems to be that the editor thinks that combinations, which are an ssabuse of personal liberty" and ''an in- jury to society,"" are not unlawful, and the law writers think, with the great mass of | sensible people, that they are unlawful. | Another standard authority says: "A combination is conspiracy in law whenever 1 the act to be done has necessary tendency l to prejudice the public" tor is, the editor says, ''an injury to soeiety,'l or ''oppress in dividuals," :" tor an ''abuse of personal liber- ty," as saith the News editor ''by unjustly subjecting them to the power of the confed- crates, and giving effect to the purposes of | the latter, whether of extortion or mischief. " | Several things must be kept clearly in mind.
 The JOURNAL AND COURIER had the abso- lute and exclusive right to decide whom it should employ. No other person had any | ownership in that right of the COURIER. Skinner, Gleason, Works, and the other workmen of the COURIER, had a perfect right to work for the COURIER, if, and only | if. the COURIER would employ them; and no other person had any interest in that con | tract relation between the master and ser want. Skinner, Gleason and the other work men had perfect right not to join the un- ion, or to withdraw their applications to join | the union.
 Now the main object of the COURIER boy colt was to drive its union workmen out | of their employment there or anywhere. They would neither take these mer into their union nor would they, if they could help it, let them remain in the employ of the CoUR- FER; and the distinct, uncontradicted threat T to Skinner was that the union and Knights of Labor would follow him everywhere, as they had just followed a man to Texas, and would prevent him from getting work any. where, and would bring him and his family to want unless he did as the union wanted him to do. Obviously the boycott of the | COURIER is a conibination of several persons 'sto oppress individuals by injuriously sub jecting them to the power of the confede. rates"
 But the editor thinks that though the com. binations are an abuse of "personal liberty and injurious to society,"" yet as the means employed simply to ask others to dc what they have a perfect right to do, the combinations are not illegal. But if the combination be an ''abuse of personal fiber ty" or injurious to society," it is illegal any way, no matter what the means to be em ployed are.
 It would be one of the most novel devices l of the devil to get up combination to de