Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-08
ALABAMA AND THE STRIKE.

The railroad employees of Alabama, even those who are on a strike, have 1t in their power to secure lasting benefit to their State. Already the South, by the steadi-
 ness with which it weathered the financial storm of last summer, is established in the financial centers as the safest and soundest section of this country, and Southern credit is at premium. Capital is looking this way as it never did before, and if our we'll
 known conservatism can maintain itself
 under the strain of the greatest railroad strike in history, we shall ride the crest of
 the next wave of investment that flows out
 from the East. That is what we want in
 the South, in Alabama, in Jefferson county,
 in Birming to develop our
 resources. We need to assure the invest
 ing public that their property and invest
 meuts are safe in that surest of all palla- diums-the law. abiding sentiment. of the
 people.
 Senseess and foolish as the strike in Ala
 bama is, the strikers themselves can, by orderly and law abiding declarations and conduct, strengthen the hold we all ready have on the confidence of the invest. ing centers. "Even with strike that in the West is burning and destroying prop
 erty and tramplipg on law and order, the South stood by the law and property was
 preserved intact. That will be a great thing for all of us, and the strikers, all
 wage earners, will reap portion of it's fruits.
 What this law is, and what it guarantees to property, is plain enough. No man eau mistake it. It allows to every man the right to quit work when he pleases. It forbids any man to interfere with another's property, whether that other be corpora-
 tion or an individual. 1t forbids any man, striker or not, to in terfere with the run ming of trains, whether freight, passenger or mail, or with any person who chooses to work. The man who cuts loose a car, who obstructs a train, who throws a switch,
 who intimidates a workman, who commits any act of interference whatever with railroad company in operating it's business,
 beyond the simple act of quitting work, is violator of law and subject to arrest and punishment. The law guarantees to every railroad company protection in the conduct of it's business, protection to It's property,
 and to every employe protection in the per formance of his duty.
 The law of Alabama does this. And this law is just as sacred, just as much to be re- spected and just as much to be obeyed as
 the law of the United States, which throws | it's shield around the mails. The Federal law and Federal authorities will protect the
 mail trains. The State law and the State authorities will just as vigorously protect
 them and all other railroad property and rights, including the right to run Pullman
 sleepers. The whole power of the State will
 be exerted and exerted promptly and wig
 orously. The State troops and the regular constabulary of the cities and counties will
 be supplemented by the posse comitatus, if necessary, and that includes every able bodied man in the commonwealth.
 There are l 1,50O ,00O people in Alabama. Not one of them has done any injury or committed any wrong against a single
 member of the American Railway Uniou.
 Yet not one of all these ,50O, ,OOO of people
 has escaped injury and loss at the hands of this organization. The order now in f1icting
 unwarranted wrong and damage on so many of their innocent and friendly fellow cti- zeus are mere handful as compared with
 the body of the people against whose in- terests they have arrayed themselves. The sympathizers with the order in it's cruel fight against all the business interests of the State are another mere handful, con- fined to few large towns and mining
 localities. At least 95 per cent of the able bodied men in Alabama will rally promptly, cheerfully and patriotically to the call of the Governor and the sheriff ifs ih protecting property, in guaranteeing to the common carriers their right to conduct their business, and in bringing to punis
 ment any and all persons who violate the | laws of Alabama.
 It would therefore be worse than crim- inal for any of the strikers or their sympa-
 thizers to degenerate thing bad enough l in itself into any violation of law. The members of the order in Alabama have started out with the intention and purpose | to stay inside the law. They have no pres ent spirit to interfere with the property or