The morning call., 1894-07-05

that the railroad company is doing Its best
to irritate the public beyond endurance.
1t seems to me that the company is using
the public as weapon to club the strikers.
There Is no apparent reason why they do
not run the local trains. mail and freight
trains. They at any rate are making no
attempt to do so. In the matter of trans
portation | certainly think that if goods
are offered for transportation and refused,
as common carrier they are certainly
| LIABLE"
What do you think of the strike| was
asked.
ut is the awakening of the people. 1t
shows how the public pulse is beating.
General sympathy is with the strikers. In
the anti-railrOad agitation of 1882 the
merchants dared not express in public
their opinions, and now they are glad to
see these men who have courage opposing
the railroad. 1t appeals 10 them. can tell
you. T hey have all been squeezed by the
railroad, and wish to see its power
broken. l hope the strikersikeep orderly
and leave drink alone. So long as they do
not violate the law they will carry public
| opinion with them, and with that public
opinion they must win."
What do you think is the legal status
of the strikers at the present m0ment?"
asked the reporter.
| LAS lawyer / do not wish to give an
opinion. As citizen / think, seeing an
! injunction has been issued by Judge Nc
| Kenna, that after Marshal Baldwin gets
back from Sacramento and recites his
stories of obstruction and assault, the
docks will be very full. Contempt pro-
ceedings will, it seems to me, be under
taken. The railroad company does not
want jury trial. They prefer the quicker
and more arbitrary method of procedure
tor contempt. The scope of contempt pro-
ceedings in the United States courts is
very wide. indeed. 1t covers multitude
Of things"
II thought the Congressional committee
appointed to investigate the actions Of
Judge Jenkins of Milwaukee reported 10
limit that scope?"
$50 it did," replied Mr.. Reddy, $50 it
did, and scored jenkins very severely for
his action. said that the pow
ers of the United States Judges
in contempt proceedings were alto
gether too large and should be cur
tailed. But | think that tomorrow or
next day we will see proceedings in con-
tempt instituted under the injunction re-
Gently issued by Judge McKenna, as they
already have done in the Los Angeles
cases. Some interesting points will have
to be- decided when those cases come up
| The chief point will undoubtedly be the
characterization of the actions of the
strikers. as to whether they intimdated
men to leave work or not II they did not
commit actions distinctly of an intimidat-
ing nature, then there is the question as to
whether the numbers in which they ap-
peared had coercive effect on the work
man. so that be could not use his free
Judgment in the matter. OF course, the
court may or may not decide that mum bers
in those cases we're coereive.
THE New Orleans cases were decided
somewhat adversely to the strikers, but l
think the interstate commerce law will be
pretty thoroughly weighed this time"
Has its consttutioDality not already
been Questioned?"
Yes; but not in court The only time
it has come up was in the New Orleans
cases. There are a good many points we
would like to see decided about it,"
SIS there any way the United States
troops can be brought into the contro-
versy at Sacramento and West Oakland q"
Yes. indeed. In seeing the Circuit
| Court injunction carried ont. as they have
! already been ordered to Los Angeles and,
as l see by the press dispatches, to Chi
cago; but l sincerely hope there will be
no necessity. A collision between troops
and the strikers. as they are called, would
be most deplorable. You know railroad
men are pretty intelligent and courageous
| men. They are used to danger and there
is NJ knowing what might har pen under
such circumstances. / am very glad to
hear that the Oakland men are not losing
their heads. We are arriving at crisis,
and day or two will show how things
really are"
This question of United States troops
being called on to settle the dispute is
proving of considerable interest to the
strikers. Rumors were rife yesterday that
men from the Preside were on the way ia
Oakland. A good many of the strikers
leaders argued that as the Southern Pa
cific was not in the hands Of receivers like
the Atchison there was no fear of
| Uncle Sam being called. They forgot,
however. Judge McKenna's injunc-
ton, and as pointed out by Mr.. Reddy
the wide scope Of contempt proceed
ings in the United States courts.
One thing, however, seems to be assured
in this connection and that is if the SOL
ders are ordered to West Oakland the en-
gineets, who have so far held aloof from
the fight, will at once join the strikers as
they did at Los Angeles. There is no
necessity for troops they claim. Under
such circumstances. too. the American
Railway Union are counting on the tower
men to 90 out. With engineers and to wer-
men out they say all Uncle Sans troops
couldn't move trains.
In this connection the following dispatch,
which was received yesterday from Eugene
| Debs, is interesting:
! CHICAGO. July 4, 1894.
Fink: The troops cannot run trains. They
| can't get scabs 10 run them. Stand pat. Use
no violence. E. DEBs.
The telegram was read by Vice Presi-
! dent Fink at the American Railway Union
meeting in Hanson's Hall, West Oakland,
yesterday and was received with wild
cheering.
AFTER MIDNIGHT.