The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-14
WHAT WOULD GoMpEns HAvEs
Samuel Gompers, in his annual report
m the Eodorofioy, IF Labor


Samuel Gompers, in his annual report
to the Federation of Labor, says:
In each of these labor struggles the employers
or corporations simply made a request and the
armed forces of the state and the United States
were at their bidding. At Ceur d'Alene. at the
bidding OF the mine owners, United States
troops were brought to Cteur d'Alene and the
men overawed and subdued.
II Is plainly evident that the militia OF our
several states now will never be utilized except
for purposes of ostentatious show or an ele-
ment in labor struggles. There is not even
pretense that they should be what they were
originally designed for. Instead OF being q
popular organization in the defense of the
homes and fresides, il has been detected into
machine OF uonopolistic oppression against
labor.
This Gompers habitually lies when he
undertakes to make a public statement
concerning labor controversy. The facts
are that rioting labor seized and occupied
private property and in some instances de-
stroyed private property and the lives Of
those who were lawfully occupying it
and defending it. The property owners
appealed to the sheriff; the sheriff ex-
hausted his powers in vain to restore order,
and appealed to the governor. The gov
ernor. in the cases of New York and Penn
sylvania, was able to send force of militia
strong enough to restore the reign of law
and order. In the case of Idaho, the gov
ernor was obliged to appeal to the United
States government for Federal troops. In
each of these cases the action of the state
and Federal authorities moo in oxact A.
cordance with their sworn duties under
the constitution and laws of their several
states and of the United States, and Mr..
Gompers is a man of sufficient intelligence
to know that until our form OF government
and fundamental institutions, both state
and Federal, as expressed under their
written constitutions and laws, are
changed, no other course is open to the
governors of states and the president of
the United States.
1t does not make any difference who de-
fies the law in this country, whether labor
or the employer of labor, the authorities
are bound to heed the appeal of the regu-
larly constituted authorities, speaking
through the sheriff or other agent of the
law, for aid. The United States troops did
not come sat the bidding of the mine
owners" to Coeur d'Alene; they came on
the order of the president in answer to the
appeal of the governor of Idaho, who was
unable to answer the call of his sheriff
with militia enough to enforce the laws of
Idaho. The laws of Idaho do not allow
miners to destroy the property of mine
owners. or to destroy the lives of nom
>~>nion labor, or to modest anybody or make
him afraid. The laws and constitution of
the several states and the United States
do not permit any such subversion of the
rights of property, do not permit any such
assault upon the security of the individual
life and liberty.
Mr.. Gompers knows that strikers have
no more legal right to lawlessly occupy the
property of mine owners and injure it
than mine owner has to seize a miners
house and burn it. He knows that under
our laws the right of the individual to
work on his own terms is as sacred as his
right to refuse work except on his own
terms. Gompers knows all this. He
knows that until our present form of gov
eminent is replaced by another form of
government, expressed by totally diff
ferent constitution and antagonistic laws,
that every instruction against law and
order, which proceeds to the extremity of
lawlessly occupying and destroying private
property, or infringing upon the right of
the individual to life, liberty and freedom
of choiccin the matter of work and wages
must be suppressed on appeal of the
lawful authorities to the chief executive
of the state or nation. Mr.. Gompers
knows all this to be true, and yet he falsely
describes the lawful use of the militia
by the lawful authorities to put down law
lessness and riot as 1.-The detection of the
militia from the defense of homes and
fresides into machine of monopolistic
oppression against labor"
Mr.. Gompers knows that this statement
is a lie; he knows that until labor becomes
riot it is as safe from the invocation of the
armed forces Of the state as is capital; he
knows that until our government in its
present form ceases to exist through col
lapse into anarchy or by revolution
Nbith NtAiPiCtC's It's luuudlneQ-
tai construction, no governor or president
could possibly do otherwise without be-
ing false TO his oath of office and
recreant to his official, constitutionally
prescribed duty. knowing this to be true.
Mr.. Gompers talks about "homes and
fresides" as if there were no homes and no
fresides. save the homes and firesides of
law breakers seeking to invade the indi-
vidual rights OF others to full protection
for life. liberty. property and freedom of
choice in work and wages.
Mr.. Gompers is knave to lie about the
situation and he is fool to lie about it.
he only brings himself into the CONTEMPT.
the distrust and the hostility of
all patriotic. law-abiding Americans.
whether workers or employers, who are
intelligent enough TO know that the
American flag and the militia that up-
hold it furnish full security for home
and tireside to all men of peace and good
will. Does Gompers seriously believe that
the American people have no use for their
militia only TO repel foreign invasion?
Does he not know that the militia from
the days of ''Shay's rebellion" in Massa
chusetts and 1.-The Whiskey war" in Penn
sylvania under President Washington