The Labor enquirer., 1886-08-28
That is What All Who Labor
Are Entitled to and
Should Assert.
Meek Submission to the Tyr.
amy of Corporations
Unnecessary.
The Principle Of Justice as Against
Law In the Case Of the N. P.
Coal Company.
For the ENQUIRER.

For the ENQUIRER.
In The ENQUIRER of August is an
account of the conduct of the Northern
Pacific Coal company toward the
miners. 1t clearly illustrates the stu
pidity 80 common to working people.
They think thai if rascality is only &C.
cording to law it must be respected.
Starving or freezing man to death, or
kicking him, his wife and little ones out
doors like dogs, should not be resented
or resisted if it is done according to law.
The twentv.four rules of thot company
would disgrace ship. The men seem
to think because they have agreed to
work under those rules that therefore
they. have no right to break them,
though thev well know they were forced
to accept the rules under duress; or in
other words, they could work under
them or 90 hungry. The law does not
require man to carry out an agree
ment that he signed under dures So.
And getting man into position where
he must sign or 20 hungry, is duress;
and not only the law but common sense
and common decencv do not require him
to carry out such agreements, and we
can only sustain our liberty by breaking
such agreements as often as opportunity
offers.
If those men had the manhood that
workingmen ought to have, they would
have united and taken forcible posses
sion, of all the stores of the company and
made prisoners Of the officers aud then
lived like men on the food and clothing
in the stores, and they should have
taken this course as soon as possible
after the lockout went into effect.
When the militia came, if too strong for
them, they could have retreated and had
something to retreat with, and not have
to stink off like tramps as they must
now. Having the officers as prisoners
they could hold them as hostages for
terms But sinking off as tramps they
can get no justice whatever and no hear
ing.
All the goods In the stores were earned
by the honest labor of the men and
stolen from their wages under the law
of pr7fts and rents. Taking interest,
rent or commission or any other form of
profit is Unsuitable only on one condi-
ton to illustrate: When boss takes
a profit from the earnings of his work
men, if he uses that profit for the Joint
good of himself and those workmeu then
he is justified in having taken it. But
when he uses it only FIR his own inter-
ests, and especially when he uses it di-
roctly against the interests and comfort
of those men who produced it, then he
is robber and ought to be treated as
such, all laws to the contrary notwith-
standing. 1t is time workingmen saw
this distinction and acted upon it. The
law will soon get into line when work
ingmen refuse to respect any title to
property that is beirg used against the
interests of the producers.
The Northern Pacific Coal company
are using their property and the power
their property gives them against the
interests of the men who produced that
property, namely, against the miners.
Therefore, by common sense, in the in
terest of justice and in defense of human
liber. those miners should not respect
the companv's tile to its property.
Liberty and justice cannot be sustai ced
under any other policy, and, in fact, all
human liberty tuat has ever been sur
rendered to capitalism has been sur
rendered bee 4use the producing classes
have through Ignorance or cowardice or
both failed to sustain this policy.
That company hired those men to 60
there and work 30 tn It that company
could reap profit from their labor.
The company has taken 30 much profit
from their labor that the men have
nothing left. Now the company has
seen fit to turn them out as penniless
tramps, with no funds to travel with and
nothing to leave their families, and their
families to be turned out of doors BY the
company from the company's houses,
and turned out Immediately. Because
the law does not furnish these men any
defense or any remedy they think they
therefore have no remedy, and this Is a
stupid conclusion that they should get
rid OF.
Allowing that the company got every
cent Of their property honestly, still that
would be no excuse for allowing them
to keep it if they used it and the power
it gives them to oppress and coerce these
men.
Suppose own a ship and cargo of
provisions. and hire Ave men to help me
sail her across the ocean and then,
when in the middle of the ocean, 1 con-
clude to discharge the men and refuse to
feed them any longer, because, having
been discharged, they are not at work
for me. and not being in my employ, I
eject them from their lodgings: what
would the men do in such a case7
Would the men gp peaceably out on
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