The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-01-31

New Workers Want Thirty Million
Dollars Worth,
SOvBRBIGWs CASE THROWN OUT

Judge Cox Declares That the knights Of
Labor Have No standing in Court, and
sustaius the Legality of the Proposed
Bond Issue.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3L-Two tele-rams
were received 10y Secretary Carlisle FROM
New York informing him that Suh-crp-
lions to the amount of 10000. 600 would
be made for the per cent. ten year bonds
which the secretary is to issue ON the lst
Of February. The secretary said that
he had no doubt that the entire issue of
EOO0O,OOD would be nolted at the fixed
price of ll1223 and upwards.
Judge Cox, of the supreme court of the
District of Columbia, yesterday rendered
his decision denying the application of
General Master Workman Sovereign and
General Secretary Mcclure, representing
the Knights of Labor for an injunction
TO restrain the secretary of the treasury
from issuing $5O,OlO,OOD gold bonds. The
first question, the judge said, that sug-
gested itself was what standing had these
complainauts in courtY 1t was well
known principle of law that i'm cases of
this character the complainants must
show that the alleged Illegal act would, if
carried into execution, iniuriuusly affect
their property rights. He did not think
that this had been shown
The allegation was made in the bill that
the knights of Labor had membership
of over 300, 900, and that the issue of the
bonds would incur public Indebtedness
of about S65.OOO 900. or 81 for each inhabi-
tant of the country This the Judge said,
could only happen i'm case of per capita
] o. p9Il fhRra fg tr, b.,
law Of that character or any other levy
ing a direct tax for the payment of public
Indebtedness. Neither had their been
since 1861. The complaiuants had not
shown that they would be taxed to pay
the bonds on maturity, and therefore as
tax payers they had no proper standing in
court The interest each one Of the 81, ,OOO,-
0OO people in the country had in any pub
lie debt was too infnitesimal to be seri-
ously considered by any court.
The point that the Knights had a special
and peculiar interest in this case by rea-
son Of the fact that a very large number
| of them were engaged in mining, in the
opinion Of the judge was not well taken
| 1t was not even shown that they were
mine owners, but only laborers 1t would
be just as competent for number of
factory hands to come to Washington and
seek to prevent by legal process a tariff
bill from being put into effect because of
some provision iuimical to their interests.
In his opinion there was no merit in the
! allegation that the proposed action of the
secretary was discrimination against
| silver and therefore it was matter in
| which the Knights of Labor had pecu-
! liar and particular right The title of
| their association indicated that it was an
| organization of laborers, and not even of
mine owners. This part OF the bill was,
in his opinion, fatally defective The
| question OF whether the United States
should pay its debts in gold or silver was
not "a question of law, but was question
of public policy, and it was not matter
in which the courts could properly inter
| fere.
The Knights Of Labor will appeal