New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-22
THE BOYCOTT QUESTION.

II is not strange that the orders OF the courts
in the Ann Arbor Railway case excite the deep
cst interest. Officers of labor organizations
naturally question the p,opricty of decision
which, 10 say the least. must materially limit
the power Of such organizations. Grand Master
Sargent of the Brotherhood of Locomotive fhe-
men declared that the order sis the death
blow to labor organizations if it is the law
for at one blow it rcvClutonzcs their pur-
pose' President Depew of the Newly DIRK Cen
trail expresses unwiingnesS - discuss the sub
ject as a lawyer until the full text OF the de-
csions and orders has been received, but Mr..
Buchanan. Superintendent of motive power,
eynressed great surprise and said of the de-
csion elf it is sustained of course it will
rcyolutOnize ralroading, and lead to laws de-
fning more clearly than has ever been done
before the exact duty of employers and their
employees in their relations with each other
Mr.. Hurd, formerly member of Congress, has
undertaken to defend the seven engineers and
frcmcn charged with contempt of court before
Judge Kicks, and it is stated that Chief Arthu.r
of the Locomotive Engineers will be arrested
On his arrival at Toledo.
Much of the comment on the decisions and
orders seems to be based upon mistaken con-
ccptionS. IL docs net appear that the Judge
in either ins. anco assumed authority t. prohibit
the employees of any company from leaving ITS
service if they chose. That was not the queS-
ton before the court. The question was
whether the officers of the labor organizations
had the right to declare a boycott against the
Ann Arbor Company, and to prohibit the men
employed on other railroads from handling the
freight TAX en- from the boyc )tted company. In
his remarks to the men Judge Kicks informed
them that their right to leave the employ OF
a company was not in question, but that while
they remained in its employ they were under
obligation to discharge faithfully and fully the
duties of the positions which they had under
taken 10 FILL
The investigation Of books and records OF
| the labor organization, 1t Is stated. failed 10
show any specified authority vested In the OIL
Gals of such organizations to order a boycott
| or a strike But that seems not matter OF
much importance. Whether the organizations
have in form and expressly intrusted to one
official or to all the officials any such power, 1t
| is certain that strikes have been ordered. and
boycotts have been ordered. and have been IN
many cases enforced by the members Of rail-
road organizations from the highest to the
| lowest. The question is not whether the on
CARNATIONS confer in form more or less power,
but whether certain power is in fact exercised
| by those organizat,n Ms. One Of the critics who
censures Judge Kicks most severely urges that
| if his decision is sound in law, it is incompre-
| hens;ble that the same principle has never been
discovered by other courts and applied in other
cases. But the novelty Of the idea underlying
the decision, if it be altogether novel, is no
proof that the decision is unsonnd.
| Freedom to work or to cease work is not
denied But the citizen of civilized society IS
ever forced to recognize the fact that his rights
are to some extent limited by his duties TO
society and to other individuals. His freedom
is not absolute. for he has no right 10 exercise
that freedom in such way as unjustly to de-
prive others Of their rights. Now il is plain,
On the very face of things, that great cor
poration which serves the whole people, and
upon which the whole people must necessarily
depend for essential facilities. cannot be blocked
in its operations without injury done to multi
tudes. The right Of the laboIing man as an
individual the right Of any association OF rail
ioad workers. is therefore necessarily restricted
to some extent by the fact that the operation
of 4 road cannot be arrested without injury 10
the public. How far this principle restricts
individual freedom the courts have yet TO
| decide