Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-24
THE PEOPLES FORUM.


| WICHITA FALLS, Ten, April &c. -Edlto
GAZETTE: In your issue of the 18th yo,
give special prominence to the decision
OF Judge Pardee of the United State.
circuit court. AS an employee of the Texa,
& Pacific railroad, and mechanic, l wish
to enter my protest against such an un
lust Interpretation of the law as given by
Judge Paldee. l regard his decision as
q direct attack upon the rights and priv.
leges OF every employee, high or low, in
the service OF the Texas & Pacific rail.
road, and species Of legal bulldozinp.
the ike OF which has never been seen or
heard since the days of reconstruction
In his decision he says: "The employees
Oh the receivers, although pro hac vice,
oihcers OF the court may quit their EN-.
ployment, as can the employees of private
parties or corporations, provided they do
not thereby Intentionally disable the
property, but they must cult peaceably
and decently."
deny most emphatically his right to
question the intention of any man who
quits the employ of the rec ivers. II is A
known fact that the receivers have a per
lect right to discharge any of their en-
pioyes without a moments notice, re-
garoless OF whether such discharge will
damage the employe, and the employe has
no legal right to inquire why he was so
discharged. Why in the name of common
seuse VIII not the same rule apply to the
otner side OF the case? He further
says; "Where they combine and
conspire TO quit, with or without
nouce, with the object and intent of
GRIPPING the property or its operation, |
nave no doubt that they thereby commit
contempt, and all who combine and
cohsplfe with the employees to thus Quit,
OF, as officials oflabor organizations issue
pretended orders to quit, or to strike
WIN an intent 10 embarrass the court in
administering the property, render them
serves ilaole Tor contempt of court" A
capitalist has the right to invest his can.
ltal or combine 1t with that of others. To
his own advantage, and does so regard,
less OF the interest of his EMPLOYEES or
competitors. To the workingman his
labor is his capital, and hold that he has
legal and a moral right to combine with
others and use his capital, or Withdraw n
at any time as is to his best ADVANTAGE
do not, by any means, uphold the
strikers in any acts of violence thew NAV
nave committed after they quit worI:
Ihey are amenable to the law for oil sncb
acts, but do deny, most emphaticallv
Judge Pardee's right to construe the fact
OF these men quitting their work. or MS
ne terms 1t, "conspiring and combinin. oil
into contempt of court: and | further
DO deny his or any other mans right 10
restrict the individual rights of any man
Judge Pardee's business is to execute tbo
laws, not to manufacture them or pervert
them TO the interest of the strikers or fine
receiver. such bulldozing is about on |
par with that INDUCED IN by jaw Gonld |
Wheh ne undertook to intimidate |
the knights of Labor: he stated |
mat ne had consulted Judge Dillon. that
ne, Dlilon,as a lawyer 9ar excellence. had
stated that Gould had clear legal rom.
cay; that number OF ais employees me-.
cnailcs ana engineers, mad homes of their
own ana other properly which he could
attachi furthermore, tlat he could ask
TOT an injunction, restraining working
employees from assisting those NOT a37
WORK 10 an intelligent man such metn-
DDS are despicable and absurd. Mr. MI
on forgets there are other LAWYERS in tho
country, men quite as capable as bimself
Lnen, Jay Gould and Dillon forget also
ms government is of fine neonlo
ma for the people; that bef6re
hey could carry out such n whole.
ale contscation OF the property
u their employees, they would first have
Q revise the constitution of the uniteS
'tates and OF the several states. / womb
avlse Mr. Gould, as private citizen, TO
eirain from depriving his employees Of ,
nelr homes and property, and their rioht ,
0 spend their money as they please. Nv Z
'ould, Mr.. Hoxie or MI. Dillon are !
either OF them president of the United :
tates, nor do they possess the power IN i
,ake laws to suit themselves, and no one I,
Use they are simply men, and are as :
menaole to the law as any other man. =
Jay be wrong, but it seems to me that a
nue. Justice is usually pictured as total :
onhd, she has really been going one I
y on TINS question all the time; /,
- mas oeen very quick to see d
10 faults ana visit punishment,