The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1894-07-07
RIGHTS NOR WRONGS.

The strike of the Railway Union is
becoming more serious as time elapses,
and the stoppage of trains is doing
increased injury to producers and the
business of the country every day.
Combined capital, on the one hand,
and organized labor on the other, the
former represented by Mr.. Pullman
and the railroad companies and the
latter by the Railway Union-com-
prising employees on railways from
coal shovelers to agents and other
minor offcials-are waging a fierce
conflict for supremacy. Merchandise
and mails have been stopped in tran
SIT, and the authorities in Washington
have been appealed to, and are at
tempting settlement of the contest.
If the emergency arise United States
troops will be employed to enforce the
carriage of the mails and the protec-
tion of property; but the government
being of the people and for the
people a careful analysis of the situa-
ton should be made before any resort
should be had to the military arm Of
the nation.
The strikers are not anarchists, who
believe and advocate death and de-
struction TO all opposing obstacles; but
this organization of laborers is CON-
posed of intelligent, industrious and
very largely of native American citl-
zens, who, under our laws, have GER
tain rights which they consider in
alienable and sacred. Mr.. Pullman is
also an American citizen, with the
same and no more privileges as such
than the humblest laborer who works
in his shops. He had the unquestloned
right to reduce the wages OF those IN
his employ, and the emgloFes COM
mitted no wrong in refusing to labor
at the prices named. Furthermore,
the Railway Union, in sympathy with
the men in the Pullman shops, violated
no law of the land in persuading the
memb bers Of the Organisation to refuse
to operate any railroad that had Pull
man coaches attached. This is falr
statement of the rights involved in this
strike which has caused so much in
jury to business.
The men at the head of the Rail
way Union claim there has been nc
interference with the mails, only on
trains hauling the boycotted coaches,
and if this is stopped railroads will be
operated by their men as formerly. Ii
may be no difficult task for the well
disciplined troops of the regular army
to disperse these strikers by killing
a few of them whenever a collisioE
happens, and we have no doubt this
course is the one preferred by very
many. But if there is peaceable
way out of the difficulty it is always
to be chosen rather than one that viii
sacrifice human lives, and public opin.
ion is of sufficient force in this coun-
try to demand that lenient methods be
used. If the Railway Union withdraw
the boycott, business will soon resume
its former channels; if Mr.. Pullman
would accede to the wishes of hi
workmen, and the railroads reinstats
their employees now engaged in tht
strike-which would not create the
least hardship to any one-the trouble
would end; and if q. 8. troops, follow
| ing monarchical methods, we're to Kill
few hundred of the men-whict
would likely result in bloody labol
revolution in the country-the presen
| inconvenience and annoyance to trad'
| would cease. The choice of the plal
to be pursued should be governed b.
the least suffering it would create tt
the people, and by the respect-no
fear-it would inculcate for the law
Those who constitute the Railwa..
Union are Americans and freemen
and they should be treated as such am
not like serfs and criminals.