The Daily Texarkanian. [volume] (Texarkana, Ark.) 1894-1906, 1894-07-13
THE GREAT STRIKE.
Viewed in All Its Bearings and Prob
able Future Conse-
quences.

The Louisville Courier-Journal
under the head, 'let no man be de-
ceived, " sizes up the present strike
situation in the following caustic
and critical manner:
"The issue which this day is of
fered the country is so simple that
child may understand it. 1t is
this, shall law and order prevail or
shall both be surrendered to the
mob2 Shall it be the constituted
government of the people or the
reign of pure anarchy Shall we
have peace and the supremacy of
established authority or civil war?
Every man has his right of action,
consistent with the right of others.
He may work or refuse to work as
he pleases. But no man has the
right to obstruct another man in
the exercise of his right and his
choice. This is a principle of indi-
vidual liberty which the govern
ment, state or national, is bound to
maintain. 1t must maintain it or
die. 1t must maintain it not mere
ly at the risk, but at the cost, of
its own life, for when that principle
dies free government dies. There
fore every power, every resource at
its command must be called into
being, and will be called into being
until the rights of every citizen are
secured and law and order are re-
stored. Otherwise, popular gov
eminent, state and national, perish
eth from among men, leaving first
anarchy and then military despot
ism to reign where all before was
freedom and equality.
There is no middle ground. He
who is not for the government is
against it. He who is not for the
law is for the mob. 1t is worse
than idle to talk about peace when
there is no peace. The turbulent
element once let loose can be re-
strained by no power except that Of
force, and sooner or later this force
will surely assert itself. After an
archy and ruin have run their
course, have satisfied their insane
craving for blood and flame, have
done their ferocious work, the whole
affair will come back to the repres-
sion of disorder by the death-deal-
ing engineries Of war, moving down
all resistance, and setting up, in
place of liberty and law, the mill
tary power
1t always has been so. 1t always
will be so. Organized society can
not abdicate in ravor of organized
violence. Organized government
will not retreat before tumultuous
and unreasoning turbulence.
There is not a free man in the
land-be he poor man or be he a
rich man-be he a so-called profess
sional man or be he a self-styled
workingman-who has not every
thing to lose and nothing to gain by
the civil war into which the mad"
men back of the present strike are
precipitating their country. We
repeat it, let no man be deceived
by the illusion of peaceful arbitra.
ton. To all intents and purposes
the leaders of this movement are
rebels with arms in their hands, ar
rayed against the constitutional
rights of the people and the peace
of the country. Disavowals of law
less intentions are as impotent as
the power of those who make them
to control the elements they have
called into being Denials of the
mob purpose are mockeries in the
presence Of acts of violence, 1t is
war, civil war, and it will not end
until established law is indicated
or overthrow.
Let no true man hesitate for one
moment. He is the enemy Of his
country who is not the friend Of or
der. Shall it be government of
the United States or government
of the secret societies? Shall it be
government of the people or a
government of the agitators. Shall
it be law or anarchy"