The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-09
THE RECENT LABOR DECISIONS.


AIN 0HO1N1 AADVR VEOAOAVNO ~
exA1rLs, April 4, 1904
To TIE EDIToR: The dscisions recently ron.
dered by Judges Billings, Taft and Riggs to the
eject that labor strikes are unlawful are - tar
reaching and Of such general public importance
- 70 certainly merit . far and candid discussion
Of all the pros and cons involved.
It has long since bsen settlsd that legally one
man hes - much right t6Quit q the other has
20 take his placa True, that In isolated cases
striking workmen will use foros In preventing
others from taking their places, but in doing %
thsy are fully aware that they are acting In vio-
iation OF law: But hnnssr and starvation star.
Ing them In the face they break the law In the
hope of escaping punishment - do many other
law-breakerA.
The attempt has bean made By various writer's
70 prove that . sudden stopping Of work on the
part OF Q large number OF railroad hands In.
dicts hardship on an innocent third party-the
general public Thus, the main question.
whether what 10 virtuous II done by ono be-
comes crime II done By two or more 10 begged.
But. since this line Of defense 10 . plausible
one It IL well for N to look into It certainly
do not propose 70 champion System that in.
dicts injuries upon innocent third partieA We
are asked to draw line between employees OF
different corporations Factory hands, We are
told, may strike. there the only sufferers are the
UdlAetU 8uQ tho m9uUI0CIuref0s anu OOSo Oeln8
an equal party to the strife the courts should
not interfere, they should b permitted to fight
1t out the best they can.
But railroad strike that involves the stop
ping OF trains and consequent iuconvisnce to
intending passengers, must not b allowed.
For such strike tnterferes with the rights Of
Innocent third parties. These submit are the
positions Of our defenders fairly stated.
what, pray, 10 to prevent the manufacturer
from Qoin9 int0 rourt and dam nd tina aamo
lief from strikers that . railroad corporation
gets on the ground that BY virtue Of strike In
his factory the dear people for whom he II 90
much concerned will Be deprived Of the article
that he manufactures
He may argue logically and truly that he
and certain associates have an absolute monop.
oily OF the manufacture OF q certain article that
10 - Indispensable to the welfare and happi-
ness OF the people - is . ride on the railroad
cara And consequently the same .elief that
has been granted to. the railway companies
should be granted to him. Namely, strikes In .
factory should b declared unlawful and the
strikers punished.
On the other hand. why should railroad ON.
ployes not enter the courts and draw the judges
attention to the facts that all railroads are
paralleled BY wagon roads; many BY waterways
and some BY composing railway lines. And
that the real hardships suffered By innocent
third parties by virtue Of the strikes are tnaigni
hcant In comparison with the hardships sure to
be imposed on the laborer, and through him ON
the entire nation If tho only peaceful weapon
that labor has with which to cope with capital
II taken from it, banda
To what, submit, will all this lead What
VIII the laborer do when the courts refuse to
keep their hands OF from . fight that 10 one
sided enough alreadyf Furthermore, 10 there
any pubic expedieucy, right or reason for those
decisionsf If 1t b true a. contended by some
that the railway business 10 OF 20 complicated
and intricate nature that the laborer employed
rights granted to him by the constitution. then
the business OF transportation Il no longer sale
In the hands Of private individuals.
hardly think It necessary for me % say to
the readers Of the PosT-INTELLIakNc8R that
am not In favor OF government ownership of
railroads. but reasoning from the very premises
laid downby those who claim the decisions to
have been just and right, We are inevitably led
to the conclusion that it 10 no longer safe to al.
low the business of transportation to remain in
the hands Of private corporations
It - indeed Q poor law that viii not work
both ways hardly think any one will have
the hardihood to claim that It 10 safe or wise to
entrust the liberty and happiness OF Que indi-
vidual into the hands Of another. The only
power 70 whom, In . republic. an individual
will yield his rights without rebellion, IL the
power of the state and not that Of private cor.
poration.
Al to the questions 20 persistently argued by
some asking what will We do with the employees
OF metropolitan nre departments or the me-
chanics Of q water plantf VIII W allow them to
quit without . moments notice and subjecs
enormous amounts Of lie aud wealth to the
mercy Of the Ore 6end or water faminef I can.
not zee how these questions are In point !
shall freely admit that q law ought to be passed
that will forbid employees Of municipal corpora
lions to quit work without Q removable notice,
but how II that going to help us to decide the
Issues pending between private corporations
and their employer
When We seek to place the employe OF q rail-.
road corporation under the same restrictions a.
10 the employe Of municipal corporation, then
We ought also to place him under the same ben.
ehts and privileged A municipal employe il as
sured OF fair play. That il. his wages cannot be
reduced. his hours Of labor increased or any
hardship imposed upon him. unless the munich.
pality Of which he 10 . resident and wherein he
has vote and voice % decrsea An ordinance
must pass Q city couccil, the council be-
ing composed Of representative OF the
people. before any hardship can b imposed
upon him. And. to the extent that the munich.
pality that employs him 10 fair, to that extent
he 10 assured Of receiving fair play.
Surely no one will claim that the same con.
dition exists with the smploye of railroad cor.
poration. It certainly 10 not true that the
average railroad manager will voluntarily offer
his employees fair play.
Moreover, OF what possible value are those de-
cisions to societyf They may b instrumental
In widening the gulf between capital and labor,
but they certainly will not abolish strikes
Surprising the supreme court will uphold these
decisions a. good law, what thenf Will 1t keep
men from strikingf We're men ever stopped
from fighting for that which they believed to b
right by decisions OF courtsf Jails have been
filled and scaffolds loaded by decisions Of
courts, but men never ceased to march onward
In the battle that they believed 70 be right
Fools and knaves have often succeeded In palm.
ing themselves OF as martyrs on the unsophis-
ticated masses through decisions OF courts, and
so far a. know . few professional labor agi-
tators may succeed in getting themselves
rested under these decisions and thus secure TOR
themselves . pension for life rs martyrs or ~
valuable freaks for dime museums But what
other benefit society can derive from these de-
cisionsI cannot for the life OF me see.
Even in monarchial countries, backed ~
they are by strong standing armies and by all
the instruments of tyranny, decree OF court
cannot be enforced unless Ii meets with the ap-
prevail Of public opinion. To say that in this
country q decision 30 violently in contrast with
pubic opinion as the one In controversy will re.
move strikes and boycotss Is certainly to do vio-
Ience 70 reason.