The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-30
HILL ON PERSONAL LIBERTY.
The Senator Expresses His Views on
the Labor Question.

Rome, N. Y, July 29.-At a picnic of
the Hop Growers Association at Sylvan
Beach to-day Senator David b. Hill made
an eloquent address, his subject being
personal Liberty"
Senator hill spoke in part as follows:
"Personal liberty, as it is generally un-
derstood, especially In its best, If not its
broadest sense, means the largest meas
ure of liberty which II is possible to con
fer upon the individual citizen, not intu-
rious to the real or substantial
interests of the whole community.
We may well conclude that no personal
right of a citizen should be abolished or
abridged simply Decause it is liable to
abuse. The contrary doctrine destroys
the free moral agency Of men, dininishes
personal responsibility, invests govern
ments with arbitrary power, and it is OPP
posed TO the spirit Of our free institutions.
In the realm of labor,
and in the domain of industry,
the principle involved in personal
liberty cannot too frequently be asserted.
The fact cannot be too strongly empha-
sized that every mans labor is his own,
and that he can do with it as he pleases.
He has a personal right to name his own
wages, his own hours, his own duties, and
all the other terms under which he is
willing to be employed, and If they are
satisfactory to the one who hires, an
agreement is reached and there is an end
Of controversy between them.
A Personal MATTER.
The contract is a personal matter, with
which no otner workman or employer has
any right to interfer, In the perform
ance OF such labor in an orderly and
peaceful manner, workman, whoever he
may be, is entitled to the protection of
the law, which guarantees equal privi-
leges to all its citizens. These considera-
tions of the relative rights of individuals
engaged in labor pursuits do not conflict
with the obligations which workmen as
sume when they voluntarily join labor or
ganizations except in the matter of per-
sonal honor, which may be involved, and
which may require submission to the con-
clusions of the majority. The legal rights
of such individuals unquestionably re-
main the same, irrespective of the ques-
tion of such membership. They always
must be deemed to reserve the
abstract legal right of re-
pudiating such membership whenever
they so prefer, their withdrawal only oc-
casioning such minor forfeitures or pen
alties as reasonable bylaws might infiict
They cannot be compelled to act against
their will. Their personal right cannot
be ieopardized.
1t does not follow that membership of
labor organizations cannot easily be kept
within the law. OF course they must not
violate contracts, or disobey orders
or conspire to do unlawful acts,
or intimidate other worlrmen who
desire to work, but who do
not belong to their body. They must be
held to strict Accountability to the law,
the same as all others. In
my opinion, the citadel of personal iber-
erty in the country is more in danger of
| being undermined BY She iA-cohsidered
| opinions OF some OF its judges, strainihg
doubtful points and invoking quibbles in
favor of corporate power, and creating le-
gal fictions to cripple the efforts of honest
labor struggling against great odds to as
sert its dignity, than from all the
arbitrary demonstrations that were ever
made by workingmen.
The mercantile exchanges in our great
cities are clamoring for relief from laws
which restrict their business in accord
ance with old fashioned plans and notions.
The whole country IS at last awakening
to the impropriety of making our money
metals a matter of merchandise by the
government itself, and are hoping that a
| patriotic congress, soon to convene, will
faithfully respond with promptitude tc
the demands of public sentiment in thai
regard.