The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-07-13
"CIVIL WAR"

Because the united States govern
ment has determined to pursue the
only honorable course that lay open to
it. that of enforcing the laws and
discouraging all acts of lawlessness
which might float to the surface dur
ing the continuance of the strike, and
at the same time see that the delivery
of the mails are not interfered with,
nor interstate commerce INSTRUCTED,
Dictator Debs crOakS about civil war
and whineS that revolution is at
hand. When men of Debs' character
are interfered with they generally pratt
about the evils which are going to be
fall the class they pretend to be inter-
ested in. But the great evils which
Debs diseased imagination runs riot
with will hardly befall the nation.
There would in fact be no possible
chance for anything of the kind, if
adventures of his stamp would re-
frain from exciting the more laWless
elements of society from deeds OF
violence. The arm Of the federal au-
thority is not being brought to bear
upon single workingman who strict
" observes the law of the land, and is
engaged in no unlawful act of inter
fering with the work of railway Of
ficials in their attempt to move their
trains.
Mr.. Debs says that the order of the
court was uncalled for. Ii this is
true it will fall harmlessly to the
ground, and will injure no one in the
least nor interfere with their rights.
The power which has been invoked
to prevent lawlessness, will protect
the common wOrkingman in his
rights, Just as quickly and to the
full extent he is interested, as it will
the capitalist who holds an interest
in railroad.
But when Mr.. Debs says that there
has been no trouble, that the rights
of the roads have not been interfered
with, he says what any man endowed
with common sense knows to be I'M
true. There have been places, notably
at Blue Island, ILL.,, where the strikers
and their sympathiZers have taken
possession of property which did not
belong to them, and declined to allow
it's rightful owners cooperate it, eX-
cept at the terms of the mob. The
reports from there up to this morning
show that the prompt action of the
federal authorities has had d most
salutary effect. True riot causing
wide spread destruction OF property
and loss of life had not been indulg-
ed in. Affairs had not reached that
state, and anything of the kind has
been nipped in the bud.
Mr.. Debs ambition to become the
dictator of the railway labor of Amer
lea will never be realized, and it would
be sad day for the workingmen of
this country if it were, for they would
be in much worse position than they
ever are likely to be at the hands OF
the railway managers OF America
Public sentiment will no more
sanction his wild schemes than it
would any of the grinding down which
he predicts on the part of the railway
management.
If Mr.. Debs and his associates have
been guilty of acts OF conspiracy
against the laws of the government
and the rights of the people, as is
very evident they have, they should
be summarily dealt with at the hands
of the court and their conviction and
punishment would prove benefit to
the true interests of labor everywhere,
for it would have the effect OF repress-
ing that wild-eyed, professional agi-
tator leadership, which is so deteri-
mental to the best interests OF the
workingmen everywhere, and bring
to the front that more conservative
counsel and leadership, which would
do more to raise up, and dignity, and
benefit the cause of labor than all the
Debs and Sovereigns that ever existed.