The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-07-12

one now the worst afflicted, What is
the condition of affairs there? BY
what right do these 25OO Pullman EN-
Moves condemn the other laoorlng
and poor people of Chicago TO greater
suffering? Why should the COST OIL
vegetables, meats and all manner Oh
nrovisjons that are absolute essentials
of life be vastly increased to hundreds
of thousands of people in Chicago ana
elsewhere just because 25OO men nav o
grievance against Pullman!
Why in this insuferably not
weather - should the condl1lon
of whole city full Of people be MADE
more uncomfortable by the creation OF
an ice famine by these 25OO men, VINO
NAV have suffered themselves, but
who through this suffering nave
gained no right to thus punish others.
Have the sick, the afflicted, the poor
and the rich of Chicago and OF the
TTnited States no rights that these ZooO
man and those now aligned with
them in this strike should be COM
PEELED to respect?
There is still another most grave
aspect of this question. 1t can haroly
be computed how much actual loss IN
property values this strike mas al
ready caused. This Is not simply d
loss in general business ventures, but
loss in perlshablo values that can
never be recovered. Now it is favor
ite word under the tongue OF LABOR
org anizers and speakers, that Word 10
charm with, the honest farmer. YET
which of his rights are these STRIKERS
now respecting? All his products
from his last year of arduous toll ara
now on the way to maTket-his Vege'
tables, his fruits, his cattle ana MS
cereals. How many millions OF dol'
lara worth of the farm products OF this
country will this strike totally de-
stroy? We daily read of train loads
Of fruits and vegetables rotting on side
tracks. We are told of cattle dying
bv the thousands of thirst and munger
wbiIe their trains stand on switches.
Can these strikers in any way excuse
this outrage upon their sworn TRENDS
the farmers? Dare they attempt to
Justify it by claiming a principle Is at
stake and that these means they
employ, terrible though they are are
warranted by the necessity they are
under to attain victory for principles
sake? Then we would answer, their
little petty principle, be it OF self gain
or even self protection, sinks into
utter insignificance as compared TO
the principle of the good and the as
sured rights of the great mass OF peo'
pie who compose this union. Weak
indeed is o government: poorly I'M
planted in the hearts of the people is
all sense of justice and right ii trey
will permit a handful of men or even
o minority, however large, to run
riot over the rights, the property and
even the lives of the people of that
country with impunity. AS said, we
have the greatest sympathy with
the wrongs of the laboring classes,
but we have even higher
admiration of the rights of all the peo-
pie. And as in great strike such
as this now ia, as it crosses so many
states and conflicts with so many laws
both state and federal, 1t would seem
the imperative duty of the federal
government to take hold of it with a
grin of iron and crush 1t out. And
not only this, but all such wholesale
attacks upon the peace, safety and
prosperity of the people, If congress
has not to this time passed adequate
laws to crush out such embargoes on
commerce, such terrible assaults on
the peace and prosperity of the peo.
pie, then its first duty would be to
pass an iron clad law that would for
ever put stop to such outrages.
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