Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-12-11

New Mexico and Arizona. There
never wa an occasion where employees
were more completely Justified Ia re
f,ising to accede to the demands OF Gun.
ployers than In this controversy. The
company required tho men to sign an
affidavit binding themselves not 10
unite with the order Of railway tole.
graph operators with out first obtaining
the consent OF their division suptrin.
teudents. The demand was radical
aud degrading, and II was proper to
resist IT, SO should everything that
iniefferes with the liberty OF the indi-
vldual, because II IL an invasion Of an
Inherent right--one that IL not con.
fcrred upon man, but that is born with
him. IA II is n fiagrah wrong TO take
away human right, II is also improper
10 tamely surrender II.
It's presumed that the order Of rail-
way telegraph operators Is an organ
lzation which IL not In conflict with
the law. This being the ease
tho Southern Pacific Company would
not need 70 take stride Of muo b
greater length than the step made In
reference to II, II they should require
their operators to subscribe 10 an oath
to the effect that they would not,
without the consent OF division super
intendents, Join any specified religious
organization, or political party.
II seems as II the government under
which we live was too free In its ge-
Mus and Institutions for some classes
Of citizens, and they are seeking 10
fasten upon the social system forms
aud phases that are essentially
antl-Republican. Such attempts to
create white bondsmon and slaves
ought to be frowned down, and, II II
can be done legally, their consum ma.
ton should be prevented. They are
blows aimed at human liberty.
II Is TO be regretted that tins stop on
the part Of the Southern Pacific com.
pauy has proved successful, because
their course Is liable TO be Initiated by
other corporations. Such II procedure
Increases the difficulty In the way Of n
solution OF the great question Of capital
and labor and has bad effect all
around. Il not only separates
more widely IN their sympathies
employers and employ ed, hut creates
rancorous divisions botw cen different
classes Of wofkmen, filling the land
with bitter and irreconclable OLSEN.
sion. Asan illustration, the places Of
the operators who struck work rather
than accept the degraded condition Of
seml-slavery which the company
sought TO impose, were oiled by other
operators who were willing TO accept
Of the degradation so long a. II was ne.
companled with employment. The
resultant luminosity between these two
classes Of operators will probably never
be- healed over. In this way violent
arise liable 10 lead TO
bloodshed.
We do not mean 10 hold that labor
organizations have been In their opera.
tlons, free from the perpetrallon Of In.
vasions OF Individual liberty. When
they have taken course OF that char.
actor, we have taken the liberty OF
crlticlslng thom. But that forms no
excuse for the position assumed by the
Southern Pacific Company In tho case
10 Point. That affidavit business was
a step that seems to Us 10 have lcRped
all bounds Of consistency regarding
the relations OF employer aud employe
In u county whose government is
pnpulnr md whnse inatllnilnna nrr frrr.