The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-05
THE LaB,R1NT MANS TRUE FRIEND.

The Times claims that II is essentially
the friend OF the laboring man. But Inc
Times does not, therefore, claim TO be the
enemy Of the capitalist. 1t Is the true
friend Of both, because It insists always
and under all circumstances upon abso-
Lutte and equal justice to both. That is
the golden rule, and when all men have 1t
IN their hearts to do equal justice 10 all
other men, we have due and orderly
course of life, In which all have what
belongs TO them.
There is no journal in this country that
asserts with more positiveness the right
OF the laborng man to quit work when
ever he chooses than The Times. When
Judge Jenkins made his famous order at
tempting to interfere with this right OF
the workingman, The Times was, we
believe, the first paper In the country 10
enter a solemn protest against II. IL
was certainly the first one of which we
have any knowledge to place the OBJ
section upon It's true and philosophical
groupd-the ground upon which it is uni
yersally condemned now.
Z But. while asserting this right of the
workingman, The Times cannot concede
TO him the right TO interfere in any way
whatever with his old employer after he
has left his employment. 1t is perfectly
obvious that If the law could allow the
worSingman TO do this. in order TO bear
equally upon both. ii would also have TO
allow the employer to interfere with the
workingman when he desired 10 quit, and,
II II allowed each to interfere with the
other, all freedom of human action would
he gone, and neither could do anything
except by virtue Of superior physical
force. This would be simply anarchy
chaos and confusion. the rule OF brute
force in place of the rule OF right.
We are led into making these remarks by
an editorial article of few evenings
back In the Evening Star, of this city That
paper has taken the side OF the strikers in
the contest now going on out West. and.
while seeming TO concede the soundness
of the principles which we have laid down
above, IL congratulates the strikers that
they have so far proceeded without vio-
lence. and IN nothing more than the eXer-
else OF their rights TO quit work when
they will If this were the fact we should
not have one word to say in ccnsure and
from being the fact as anything can be.
1T is true that much Of what has been
really. and. in fact, forcible. interference
with the perfect freedom of the railroads
has been disguised under one false pre-.
text and another. and some of II has been
as discreditable and disgraceful TO the
men engaged in 1t as If they had been
Commanche Indians. For instance, in
one case train carrying 800 passengers.
many Of whom were women and children.
was thrown off the track last Sunday
morning and kept standing all day in the
broiiing sun. These poor people had no
water and little or no food. When the
men OF the party undertook 10 make a
hose connection with the water works Of
a village near by. the strikers forbade It,
threatening 10 damage the water supply
OF the village so that IL could not furnish
needed water The press dispatches tell
us every day OF cars being thrown across
the tracks, OF engines being killed" and
OF Pullman cars being forcbly detached
from the trains made up. This strike
differs In none OF its essential features
from all the other strikes we have seen.
In which the strikers have inyariablys
sought 10 interfere with the liberty of
their old employers by violence and force.
and this element OF 'the strike" we in
sist that every citizen who has the
slightest regard for peace and order Is
bound TO set his face against and resist
with all his nigh.
The news from Chicago informs us that
the present AFFAIR viii be adjusted by
rex; Saturday. 1t does not inform US of
the terms upon which the adjustment is
TO be made, but We want 10 say that II
the railroads have any thought Of pak-
Ing adjustment which win IN the
slightest degree concede 10 the s,rikerS
the right 10 interfere In any wsy what
ever with absolute liberty upon their
part to hire other men In the places OF
those who leave them. or which in the
siignest degree comedies to the strikers
The right 70 have any voice whatever in