The record-union., 1894-07-14
VOICE OF TEE PRESS.
Expressions of Some Representative
Journals.
The Country Papers on the Strike, the
Boycott and the Involve-
ment Thereof.
Isan Jose AIercury.l

San Jose Mercury.l
Ihls demonstration of what public
opinion can do when wisely nurtured
and sagaciously directed is an example
from which other cities can derive a
profitable lesson. 1t shows the right way
OF dealing with popular discomfort. Let
the 1u1 facts be impartially puDlshed
and the people be left to form their own
opinion concerning them. Then. when
the Judgment is formed, let lew reso-
lutte men give it energy aud dlrectlon,
and It will be power that requires no
martial law to assist it. San Jose Will pe
known hereafter not only as Iaw-aold-
inc CITY. but as one in which order can be
maintained and disturbances quelled
without bloodshed and almost without
the exercise of any force whatever.
WILL NOT BE ENDURED.
stockton independently
If every time there is local labor dis
pute between some employer ana his
Workingmen the business and comfort OF
the whole people from Mobile 10 Mont
treal, from Portland, Me-, to Portland.
Or, are to be tiled up" we may be sure
that this kind of tyranny will not long be
endured by a commercial people.
Suppose a man has dispute over his
wages with his employer, does ybody
suppose that the whole American people
are going to go without water, gas, coal,
food or transportation until this dispute
is settled? You might as well say that
because of a local labor dispute Seattle
should 60 without water, gas, fuel, food
or transportation. The law considers
and treats it as conspiracy against the
public veal for capital TO combine to Op-
press the whole country cornering the
absolute necessaries OF life; the law will
certainly not permit combination of
labor to execute the same sort of oppres-
sion.
A MISTAKE.
Woodland Democrat1
Some of the San Francisco papers are
excusing the strikers for not permitting
freight trains TO move, on the ground
that this seeming willingness on the part
OF the railroad company is an afterthougbt
and that 1t was only induced to do the
right thing when it discovered that it was
powerless to do otherwise. That is
mistake for which these papers will have
to answer. No matter by what motives
the company is influenced, whenever it
offered to move freight trains and leave
the Pullman question in allegiance the
strikers should have promptly accepted
the proposition.
BLUNDER.
Fresno Republican,
The only hope of organized labor in
this contest now lies, in the opinion of
b44S DdDSIa III al 1uluiSOtdG0 I6NtE5dl VI
the policy announced from Sacramento.
Public sympathy is the foundation upon
which it rests, and public sympathy will
be withdrawn from it il it insists upon
refusing that relief to which the great
mass of the people are entitled. If the
railroad companies are willing to move
the freight trains the strikers must move
them or permit them to be moved or the
public vengeance 80 ready and willing to
be visited upon the corporation will fall
upon organized labor.
HIGHLY REPREHENsIBLE.
[San Diego Union.]
The attempt of the American Railway
Union to force the company to terms by
means of the boycott was highly repre-
hensible. If the company was the only
sufferer it would be deplorabIe, for its
rights should not be disregarded on ac-
count of its financial ability to run at a
loss during hard times any more than
were it without resources to fall back
upon, but the public suffers more than
the company on account of the with
drawal of the trains.
FEARLESS EXPRESSION.
Los Angeles Times.l
While some of the papers published on
this coast appear inclined to manifest an
inclination to climb on the fence in COM
menting upon the strike, the Chicago
I16MSDdD5TS SD6dk Oub Will 10 uncertain
voice, Notwithstanding the fact that Chi
cago is great labor center, and that the
newspapers there are to a large extent
dependent for support upon the laboring
classes. Thus, the Tribune comments
severely upon the unreasonableness of
Debs in closing up factories and work.
shops because single firm refuses to
pay its car-builders what the work
turned out repayS the employer. The
Herald is still more emphatic, and states
that the present railroad boycott is not
only without sympathy. but that intelli-
gent people are reaching the conclusion
rapidly that it is a criminal outrage of
colossal dimensions.
ARBITRARY ACTION.
lSan Diego Union.l
Primarily the companies were in the
right No interference with the right of
the employer to conduct business should
be tolerated, and it was not for the en-
ploye to say what cars should or should
not be moved. The arbitrary action of
the strikers in dragging the men en-
ployed upon the railways into their fight.
which related merely to the wages paid
in the Pullman shops, must be con-
demned by disinterested men. If they
were dissatisfied with the wages paid,
they had the right to quit. No law could
compel them TO work, but they should
not object to others taking their places.
or attempt TO force the payment of higher
wages by the use of the boycott
COMMON SENSE THOUGHT.
lOakland EnQuirer.l
As might have been anticipated. the
great strike ordered by Sovereign and
others is not so general as they intended
to make it, and the reason is that the men
they have called upon to go out have ex-
ercised their thinkers and have not been
able to see any reason why such an order
should be issued. They have sense
enough to know that for cigarmakers,
tailors and restaurant waters TO go on
strike in the idea that it is going 10 help
the Railway Union. is the sheerest folly.
In other words, when the head of labor
organization loses sight Of common sense
it is time for its members to prove to him
that they have not done the same.
DICTATOR WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITY.
Ventura Free Press.
President Debs of the American Rail-
way Union holds unique place in Amer
lea to-day. He seems to be a dictator
without responsibility to any one; acom
mander with no army to enforce his
commands: a Judge, with no law or pre-
cedent to determine his decisions, and q
sovereign prince, whose jurisdiction is
within sovereign government. he has
compelled dozens OF railways TO break
their contracts, either with Mr.. Pullman
or the Government, thousands of en-
ployes to break their contracts with COM
panies against whom they had no griev-
ance, and hundreds OF thousands OF peo-
pie to suffer for offenses which they
did not commit. He has but TO
speak the word. and the people of
any community are cut OFF from
transportation, the food for large city is
left on sidetrack, the fruit is left to de-
cay in the car, the fuel to run machinery
l. left at the WaV-sfatinn and the 6anand-