Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-06-30

Mr.. BoltwOOds Acknowledgements
An EVIL which Must be Rooted Out
by the State by Force of Arms if
Necessary.
1t is the natural desire of every man to
obtain as much as possible for his labor.
This rule applies to those men who are called
capitalists as well as those who are called
wage-earners. All men are laborers, and
those who by self-sacrifce and industry have
acquired enough wealth to be classed among
capitalists, have done so by an amount of
self-control and perseverance rarely ever
exercised by the wage-worker. The wage
worker looks with envy upon the capitalist
and his handsome residence. He says to his
fellow workmen, shall we work like slaves
for mere livelihood, while our employer
does no work and lives like princea The
wage-worker forgets that all the capital in
the country is the reward of saving, and that
he might be capitalist if he and his ances-
tors had been as industrious and as saving as
the capitalist and his ancestors.
This feeling that the capitalist is living in
luxury, at the expense of the wage-worker,
has caused workmen to combine to adjust
matters to their own advantage.
The speaker here defined boycotting, its
origin and use in Ireland, and proceeding
said:
"Here boycotting is the combination of
workmen as consumers. If workmen are
dissatisfied with their wages they agree to
have nothing to do with their employers
products and those who deal in them. They
have learned that they are the principal con-
sumers of what they produce by their labor
and that IL makes mora imrrasaion on tha
capitalist for them to refuse to consume his
products than to refuse to help him produce
them.
In considering this subject the first and
most important question that presents itself
to us as lawyers is the legal aspect of boycott
ting. 1t has been truly said that criminal
act cannot be generated by the mere multi
plication of acts that are perfectly innocent.
It is clearly legitimate for a man to refuse to 4
buy certain goods, and the mere fact that a
thousand men are Independently impelled to
refuse to buy these goods does not make it
criminal. But different case is presented
where a number of men meet together and
agree jointly to refuse to buy these goods and
to persuade others to do the same thing.
This is not mere multiplication of refusals.
1t has in addition an agreement and organ
lied arrangement, and becomes an industrial
conspiracy.
Conspiracy is the agreement of two more
persons to do an unlawful act or to do law
full act in an unlawful manner. Thus an
agreement to effect purpose not illegal in it.
self, but prejudicial to the public when done
by the confederation of many, or to ruin a per-
son by means not indictable in an individual, |
is conspiracy, because, whatever the act to |
be done, the combination of members to eff |
feet it, is thing dangerous to the public |
and not to be permitted by law
Every man has legal right to the advan-
tages open to the community generally,
one of which is the privilege of |
in any lawful business
If it is an unlawful act |
to attempt to prevent man from pur-
suing his occupation, boycottipg is a con-
spiracy as it is an agreement to do an unlawful
act. If it is lawful act to attempt to pre-
Yent man from pursuing his occupation, 4