The weekly tribune., 1893-08-18
THE TRIBUNE AND LABOR.

This office is in receipt Of the follow
ing communication from the Great Falls
Trades and Labor council, j. E. Rey-
nolds, president, and A. James, secre-
tary:
"To THE EDITOR OF THE TRIBUNE:
"Sir: We present you with copy Of
resolutions passed at our regular meet
ing last evening for publication.
"Whereas, There is published in the
city of Great Falls an alleged newspaper
known as The TRIBUNE; and,
. "Whereas, The said sheet has under
it's present management constantly and
maliciously misrepresented the union
workingmen Of this city, and during the
last several weeks has seemed to 60 out
of it's way to print mistatements and
garbed accounts Of the trouble between
certain clothing merchant and the
Trades and Labor council and the
Clerks association; be it
"Resolved, BY the Trade and Labor
council Of Great Falls that we denounce
The TRIBUNE and it's editor and man.
ager as instruments detrimental to the
union workingmen and also to the city
of Great Falls; and be it
"Resolved, That copy Of these reso-
lutions be given to the press Of the
city for publication.
GRADES AND LABOR Council"
In reply to which The TRIBUNE says:
To the Members of the Trades and
Labor Council, Gentlemen: We are ex-
tremely sorry that you should seek to do
injury to your best friends because Of a
misapprehension or on the advice or
leading of some person whom you will
soon discover to be much less your friend
than THE TRIBUNE has always been
There is but one thing which we regret
and that is typographical error the
other day which made it appear that the
district court had ordered an irjunction
against the Trades and Labor council
as well as the Clerks union, which was
not, the case.
In all other matters we stand by the
record and trust to the cool and calm
judgment of our friends in and out of
the labor organizations to do us justice
in ali matters of this kind. The labor
ing men of Montana have never had a
more constant friend than the present
editor of this paper. When Peter Breen
was striving in the legislature of 1891 to
pass an eight-hour law there was not d
newspaper in the state that stood by
him except the one edited by the pres
ent editor Of this paper, the Helena
Journal; and in all other respects he
has shown his friendliness to the cause
of labor and defended organized labor
on all proper occasions.
But gentlemen, you should remember
that a daily newspaper is not at liberty
to take sides with any one section of the
population. Its province is to aid So far
as it can in securing the widest possible
justice to ALL to shield the weak and op
pressed to expose the shams and frauds
of tricksters and rascals, and to take the
side of the people against the plutocrats
and oppressors.
This has been, and always will be, the
record of The TRIBUNE. In urging &
peaceful settlement of the recent trouble
between the Clerks union and the Bos
ton clothing house we we're pursuing
this course. 1t is as wrong for an organ
ization to abuse its power as for an indi
vidual, and there is no individual or or
ganization here or elsewhere which car
intimidate this paper, or cause it to de
viate by a line from the course it has
laid down of absolute right and justice
to all 1t has not infrequently happen
ed in the past that men have sought tC
wrong and persecute their best friends
The TRIBUNE is not the first to expert
ence this kind of treatment, nor will il
be the last. and it appeals its case from
the few individuals who seek to do il
injury to the great public which is al
ways quick to discern the truth and tC
accord justice.