The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-08-03
LET ALL OBEY.

Since the soldiers were called in to
quiet the troubles in Chicago, and Judge
Grosecup's grand jury has indicted Debs
and others of the American Railway
Union, we have heard nothing further
about that same grand jury indicting the
board of railway managers. 1t was held
out to the strikers that there would be
NO favoritism shown, that the employer
a. well as the employe should be made
to obey the law. The strikers were
promised fair deal. Have they had it?
Most assuredly not. While Mr.. Debs
and others are under bonds awaiting
trial for conspiring to injure Pullman
and the railroad companies, the Southern
Pacific Railroad Co., boldly advertises
the fact that the boycott it had declared
against the Santa Fe was off. If the
boycott is unlawful for Debs and his
followers, why is it not also unlawful for
the Southern Pacific railroad? If Debs
is to be punished for interrupting inter-
state commerce, why is not Mr..
CrOcker of the Southern Pacific also in
iictedl The interstate commerce law
was enacted to protect the people against
exOrbitant charges, but in that direction
it is and always has been an utter fail
Ure. The railroad companies pay no
attention to the law only when they can
invoke it to get some benefit from it.
The United States courts pay no atten-
ton to it, and do not undertake to en-
force it unless their masters, the railroad
companies demand it in their own
interests. We have read in some of
the leading dailies, editorials deprecat-
ing the action of the country press
In making the assertion that there
is one law for the corporations and
another for the people. That such SEN
timents were misleading and stirred the
people to dissatisfaction. This is true,
and this is what was intended.
The liberty of the people, the equality
of citizens and corporations before the
law is the foundation on which the
fabric of our government rests, and that
destroyed, anarchy would follow. The
country press represents the people,
and fights the peoples battles. Unfor-
tunately the big dailies are almost all
on the side of the corporations. They
are there for the same reason the United
States senators are there, because they
are few in number, have large circula-
tions and are for sale in compact body.
The country newspaper today is the
bulwark of American liberty. The
country editor may lack brilliancy, but
he is at least honest. He is laborer,
one of the common people, and their in
terestE and his are common.
The assertion that there are two
kinds of law, one tor the people and one
for the corporations, will continue to
be made, because it is true. That the
American Railway Union leaders are
prosecuted on the charge of boycotting
and the board of railroad managers are
not, though admitting their guilt, is the
proof of it. We believe in the law and
in its strict enforcement, but as at pres
emit construed by our courts the laws are
obligatory only on the masses. The
safety of the republic is threatened by
it, for history tells US that whenever
any class has gotten above the reach of
the law, that the common people pulled
it down into reaching distance. His
tory will repeat itself.