Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-08-23
OUR "CITlZENS. !"

OUR "CITIZENS,"
The New York Commercial Bulletin
il the official organ of the Produce Elk
change and the general mouthpiece Of
all the Exchanges" that FIeber Newton
lately convened to a grand "Ctizens'
masouerade-a love feast between Capt.
tai and Labor, in the course Of which
the "Four Hundred" led by Archibald
and Vanderbilt, were to dance a great
political non partisan cdHcda.
In commenting upon the Grand Cen
trial railroad strike, this organ of the
"Citizens' in question tells us plainly
how they would deal with Organized
Labor if they should finally conclude to
dismiss for while their willing, supple
but slow partisan servants and take
legislation into their own hands. We
quote:
alt has ceased to be Of any use to
reason with these men (the strlkers)
regarding their obligation to the public,
or their standing III public opinion, n
just as a man who is orderly and reput-
able in ordinary conduct becomes an
utterly reckless brute when filled with
Inh,r I,n.lnr. ,.hn Il
with the strength Of supposed power
use it as if they have never known the
sense of duty or Of shame The laws
ought to have provided long ago that
leaders, men and organizations, engaged
in strike without grievance or ditil-
Guilty which has been put into definite
form and submitted to employers i'll
vain, or with such reason as a court
holds not sufficient to justify extreme
measures, should be held personally
responsible for all damages caused by
the strike, and also that leaders and
men participating in strike under such
circumstances should be held criminally
liable for conspiracy to lnJure,
And who will determine whether
the real cause Of strike, or the mOtiue
Of the men engaged in it, is justihable
in defense of right, or punishable AZ a
crime against society" Why! the courts
the judges elected by the Citizens"
in question, who are "society." Mark
hat nt AY,t In hn ,r}e I,,t ln
Of men are to be investigated and
determined" by such judges! In the
present strike, for instance, "the tele-
graph offices should be searched for
dispatches which might show a criminal
combination" And why not the mails
But if, perchance, the "Ctzens"
were defeated at the polls by trades
union politics." the remedy will never
theless come "when the next period of
commercial and industrial disaster in
creases the number of the unemployed. "
We quote again
Those who are able to hire labor will
then select men u1der special contract
| Cancellation or arbitration of differences,
not before politicians, but before practI
cal and dlslnterested persons, intelligent
and familiar with the business in hand"
that is, before "Citizens" will be
one provision. Absolute freedom of the
worker from organizations which claim
the power to dictate to him will be ano
Their. Organizations will find few to
support them in such time, and the
| tyranny of the walking delegate will not
be forgotten
We see from this that the Surplus
Labor" theory Of Karl Marx is not I'M
known to the "Citzens'', that they con.
slider it sound and true. and that they
are determined to act upon it, regard
less, however, of the possible revolu.
tlonary consequences which Marx, wiser
than they, has duly pointed out.