Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-08-04
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
A Plea for Henning.

FORT WORTH, Tx, Aug. 3,-Edtor
GAZETTE; In yesterdays GAZETTE APP
peared an article headed "The Striker
Henning. While fugitive from Justice
is furnished card iudorsing him to other
lodges OF Knights OF Labor" The arti-
Gle proceeds after detailing his arrest:
\ peculiarly attaches to Hennihg lie Is, of
course, Knight of Labor. IL has been repeat
cdly asser,ed that his order was, mt only OPP
posed to lawessness, but stood ready at all
times to aid Ia the execution of the law and
willing to help In maintaining good order The
law has thus far placed upon Henning the
BRAND n CRIME.
lie has been n fugitive from Justice Ncvtrthe-
less, there was found among Henning's effects
when was arrested traye ing card OI he
order, dated July D, 1856 and signed by DIR j..
l.. Cooper, master workman OF Ilenning's
the city of Fort Worth. This card bears the
eeal OF his lodge, and represents him as In
good standing In the order. The natural in
ference OF this ia t Is, of course, not very com
plimentary 10 the statements that the orderwill
SHIELD LAwLEssNEsss
There Is probability that his lodge would
claim that they had no knowledge of Hennlng
being charged By che law with being criminal,
yet he was wcll-known AS one OF the number
whom the law was after and u Is NOT on record
| that his der aided In bringing him to the bar
OF Justice 70 be tried whether or not ne be
guilty OF murder. The studi0us hiding OF
| Pierce aud Harding from the onicersot the law
does not strike the community as indicating on
their part a conscience void of otense, They
/ are innoc ent me N, or they are guilty
Now dot believe that THE GAZETTE
wishes to m'srepresent the order or mis-
consuueits workings by ascribing SIMS
ter significance to its actions or rules.
| The tenor of that article is, however,
calculated to do this, no matter how in
nocent In intention the writer may have
been | do not know what are the
specific charges alleged against Mr.
! Henningi nor is II material to the present
| issue. do not know what evidence the
auth )rities have to su6stantiate those
charges; neither does this affect the
principle involved Until Mr. Henning
| Is proved guilty and according TO the Las
OF the land, he must be assumed to ht
innocent. This IS common right tC
which every citizen is entitled. lie /,
not proved guilty Of any crime rs yet
until he ~, the order cannot, In honor oil
| justice, adjudge him such. Nor car
/ THR GAZETTE in conscience or RICH
condemn, nor the law brand him witt
crime. So far he has not beef
convicted OF any crime mer
itiug expulsion from the order
until he Is, and expelled therefor, he Il
entitled TO card alike with every othe
member. In this the Knights OF Labo
are not peculiar. This is the universe
rule and practice OF all orders. Were n
Mason, Odd Fellow, Knight OF Phthias
Knight OF Honor, or member OF any othe
order, would he be expelled for an allege'
crIme2 Would his fellow members re
solve themselves into detectives or mir
detectives TO hound him DOWN. Certainl
not Then why arraign the knights Q
Labor because they will not do itr VIII
should Knights of Labor do this NOR
than any OF the other secret ordersE |
1t not fact that every one OF the me
mentioned as being fugitlves from lusnc
is member Of one OF more OF the order