The record-union., 1894-07-31
THE GREAT RESERVE FORCE.
Lessons for the Late Railroad
Strikers.
What Would Have Happened Ii
the Strike Had Been
Stronger.
THE Overland Monthly.l

The sanctum circle has learned its les
sons. Its sympathies will be in the future
on the side of law and order, even II at
times it seems that the law is weak and
unjust Strik es. boycotts, uprisings, only
lead to anarchy and treason, and IN the
end destroy our good name at home and
abroad. 1t is sick and disgusted with
these mouthings about Liberty and
Free born American Citizens" 1t
holds that lovers OF liberty are lovers OF
law and lovers of country. rrr-ss
OF COURSE LAw-ABIDING-PREAC
VS.. PRACTICE.
[Chicago Tribune.l
Instead of following the lovely and
peaceable programme arranged by Presl-
dent Debs, the strikers seem disposed TO
follow rather the murderous councils OF
Vice President Howard. Debs
says. I'VE simply quit as we have right
to,n and before the end of the second day
OF the strike Debs' lieutenant is advising
the use OF coupling pins, and Debs'
strikers are spiking switches, inJurlng
railroad property, derailing and ditching
trains.
THEY MUST NOT BE BROKEN.
ICalif ornia Catholic (San Francisco.
CAPITAL and labor have their respective
rights and duties. To uphold these the
commandments of God must not be
broken. In the strike we have just passed
through, the moment the representatives
of labor began destroying the property OF
capital, and ignoring the supreme power
of the Government, that moment the law
of God was violated, and before any re-
dress could be given to the strikers law
and order had to be upheld. This the
Federal Government has done by its
gentle but firm action.
DIDN'T KNOW THE COUNTRY WAS
LOADED.
[Harper's Weekly.l
A large majority of the people in every
case i'll which labor has A real grievance
will be in sympathy with the aggrieved
workingnen. But Inc Amerl-
can people are opposed to sympathetic
strikes because they always infiict griev-
Gus injury upon innocent parties. $
Debs now cries out that it all the other
labor organizations had supported him
the strike would have been more sue
cessful, No mistake could be greater,
the more general the strike the more cer-
tainly it would have failed, Tor the more
generally and vigorously would public
opinion have risen up against it, and the
more irresistible would the force OF that
public opinion have become. AS sincere
friends of the workingmen we cannot too
earnestly admonish them calmly to con-
slider the danger to which they will ex-
pose themselves If they succeed in really
alarming society. They have only had a
mild foretaste of it in what has actually
happened during the recent strike. q
No sooner had tie affair assumed a
somewhat dangerous aspect, than the
conservative forces of society was up
against it. President Cleveland's procla-
nation fairly electrified the country.
There has been nothing like it since Lin
coins call for volunteers after the firing on
Fort Sumter. The lines of party division
disappeared in the enthusiastic response.
The South We'd with the North in demon
strationS of enthusiastic devotion. The
constitutional disquisitions of the Gov
ernor of Illinois were swept away with
shouts of derision. Southern Democrats
were the first to affirm that no State
rights doctrines must be permitted to
stand in the way of the execution of the
laws. There was the end of the strike,
and that the end came so promptly was
very fortunate for those concerned in it.
Had the strike been stronger than it was.
had it succeeded in overcoming the mill
tary forces gathered at Chicago. and in
bringing that whole city, or even the
whole State, under the control of the
leaders, what would have been the con-
sequence? In less than a week every
State from Maine TO Texas and from
Georgia to Oregon would have poured
forth its thousands of soldiers. The late
boys in gray'' would have taken es-
pecial delight in demonstrating their
lighting loyalty to the Union and the
laws. Organized labor in result would
have been crushed as by an avalanche, its
guilty leaders would hardly have sur
vived the collision, and who can tell how
many there would have been of innocent
victims.