The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-24

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
One fact should be remembered in behalf
of labor-employing corporations. When they
are obliged to part with their men because
the latter refuse to work any longer or
i'm other words, are ION strike" they do
not instigate any public outbreaks. The
"barons'' do not call meetings or conven-
tons of their class to frame resolutions
defining their rights that finally develop
into threats. They do not send out ennis
saries to form societies of bankers, mer-
chants. manufacturers. contractors and
other employers in various communities,
instructing said societies to pursue and
pound TO death their laboring men. TO
mob every employer who refuses TO shut up
shop as to keep out all laboring men.
The capitalists do not get up sympathy"
combines to obstruct the commerce of the
whole country because they may happen
TO be boycotted by their Own particular
set of laborers. These capitalistic
"despots" who are called so cruel by labor
unions do not force or try to force all other
employers to join in locking out all laborers
everywhere so as to bring to their terms
the striking laborers. They do not organize
mobs and intiame them 10 murder and de-
Stroy the property of all employers who do
not act with them and who continue the
use of laborers. When a corporation has "A
strike on hand 1t Is not necessary to call
out the military TO repreSS combinations of
capitalists laDOrerS can easily say that
capital does not need the aid OF mobs to
enforce its DEGREES for the reason that il
can prosecute by reducing wages
True enough, but the fact is this persecll-
ton does not extend to distant near COM
munities. IL does not punish innocent citi-
zens by depriving them OF coal. food sup
plies flour from the mills or meats from
the West. 1t does not interfere with the
mails or embargo the products OF the South
or the fruits of California. This persecu-
ton does not cut railroad trains, or Kill en-
gineers. or deprive the travelling passen-
in cars with blocked wheels; yet these out
RACES have occurred under the orders of
Debs and his conspiratorS. True. the rail-
way managers came together i'm chi
cago but they had TO to save their prop
erty and meet organized violence by or
corporations may resort TO black lists"
but this does not involve wholesale riot
and can Ice remedied by appeal 70 the law
The black list does not burn uown ware
houses. topple over cars or draw the blood
of men who desire To work Outside OF the
its men. there are no outrageS. In this re-
speCt at least the "despotism OF capital
is far preferable TO the eXasperating tyr
ranny exercised under the dictatorship OF
Debs and his lieutenantS. Can any reason
ing man who is labOrcr deny that cap
created at the ballot box? Can any reason
ing man arrive at any other conclusion than
this: that individual rights can never
be maintained when his viii is under the
domination of unions that slavshy permit
Debs x co. 10 indulge in a personal dream
of ambition to control the empire of labor
and TO live In the enjoyment OF hand
some revenue not earned by the horny
hands the sweat OF the brows? w. j.
indianapolis, July 3.