St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-15
The Law of the Land Govern
ing Labor Orders and Their
Operations.
A Review Of Legal Decisions
Covering Nearly a Cen
fury.
What Six Years Of Strikes
Cost Labor and Cap
ital.
Minnesota Has Had a Varied
History in This
Line.

Labor disturbances, strikes, iockoutS
are to be studied much as one would ln-
yestigate either disease of the human
body or the defects in the constitution
of an overthrown government. All
three run on almost parallel ilneS-lii-
diyidual. political, social. The strike
is one form of a social disease. 1t Is
either resistance to injustice or all un-
reasonable demand for unreasonable
things. These propositions, while
seemingly arbitrary. have been we'll
defined by the courts of the land.
What they have held may not be out OF
place at this moment of great indus
trial disturbances in the Northwest. In
1906 the recorder of the mayors court
of Philadelphia held:
IA combination of worllmen to raise
their wages may be considered III two
fold point of view, one is to benefit
themselves, the other is to iniure those
who do not join their society,"
The narrowness of this opinion. COM
inc. as it did, under the law of conspir-
acy. has not been justified by the Amer
lean bench in later days. But in 1910,
in the MAYORS court Of New York City,
an almost similar opinion was delivered
in a similar caSe-cOmblnatlonS of work
men to regulate the price OF wages. A
broader spirit, and one more Just to all
classes. is To be found in the opinion OF
Judge Roberts. 1915, Allegheny county
Every man has right to aiilX what
price he pleaseS on his labor; IL IS nor
for demanding high prices that these
men are indicted, but for employing un-
lawful means to eXtort these prices,
i. G.. combination TO force prices up.
Judge Gibson. of Philadelphia, held
in 1921: Every association is criminal
whose object is to raise or depreSS the
price of labor beyond what it would
bring if left without artificial excite
ment. But a combination to resist OPP
preston. not merely supposed. but
real. would be perfectly Innocent, Tor,
where the act to be done and the means
of accomplishing it be lawful. and the
object to be attained is meritorlouS,
combination is not conspiracy"
In 1910 Chief Justice Shaw, of the
Massachusetts supreme court, held III
lengthy decision:
I'VE think, therefore. that aSSOcia-
tiOns NAV be entered into the object OF
which is to adopt measures that may
have tendency to impoveriSh another,
that is. to diminish his gains and
profits, and yet so far from being crlni-
inal or unlawful, the object may be
highly meritoriOuS and philosophical
Judge DAILY, of New York, in 1867
held:
''Ihat it is not unlawful for any num-
Der of jOurneymen or master Workmen
to agree, on the one part. that they viii
not work below certain rates. or on the
ether. that they will not pay above Ger
tain prices"
Judge Brady, of New York. held il
1888: mo doubt exists of the right OF
workmen to seek by all possible means
to increase their wages, and all meet
ingS and combinations having that OBJ
iect in view, which are not diStin
guished 10y violence or threats, and are
lawful therefore, cannot be reasonably
condemned or Justly interfered WITH
1t is noteworthy in the citation o.
these opinions covering nearly cen
tury of the labor history of the United
States that all of these learned ant
high judges hold trials. destruction o
property, armed coercion, attacks upol
the so-called ''scabS,' disturbance o
the public peace, travel and commerce
TO be punishable to the fullest extent o
the law. The most modern of these as
Sert the right of labor to form unions
associations and orders for the amelio
ration of his condition, and the the reg
ulation of the price paid for his labor
but emphaticallY deny his right to us
such organization against other work
men, or to the damage of the public o
the employers. Anyone taking tn
trouble to look these interesting decis
ions up, will fiud that the meaning Q
their language is unmistakable.
The strike data of the country at larg
for the last six or seven years afford
rich food for reflection.