Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-06
A Large and Representative Gath
 ering of Citizens
CALL FOyez MEND OF STRIKE.
Lawlesl5s ,ss Condemned-Re- spon 2 ility Placed-Pledged
 JI Uphold the Law.

The adjourned citizens' meeting of last Tuesday night reassembled yesterday after noon. the attendance being larger than be- fore.
 Those present were representative men, who are interested in the welfare of the community.
 When Captain Martin called the meeting to order Colonel Shepard, chairman of the committee of seven, reported a series of resolutions which, after some amend ments and after discussion, were finally adopted without dissenting vote.
 Major Lockwood moved to table the reso- lutions as not germane to what he under stood to be the purpose of the meeting. The motion was lost with one vote in the affirmative.
 He opposed the motion to adopt.
 MT. D. k. Dunlap, Judge Arnold, Cap tain Webb and Judge Fulton all made speeches favoring the resolutions.
 Judge Arnold elicited much applause by his clear and emphatic enunciation of the doctrine that the laborer has a right to quit work, but has no right to violate the law in preventing others from working, and that the man who has work offered him and won't accept it has forfeited his claim on the community for help.
 MT. Dunlap, who has been out on the Georgia Pacific as one of the deputies guarding bridges, said he had been met by expressions of surprise among the farmers that he would do guard duty, the impress sou being that the people of Birmingham are in sympathy with the strike and it's att tendant commotionS.
 Captain Webb brought out the duty of every man to stand by the law and law officers, and emphasized the debt this com munity owes to Governor Jones and Sheriff Morrow.
 Judge Fulton enlarged on the idea that the conditions of anarchy precipitated by these strikes and the lawlessness growing out of them was bringing on a strong cen- traliZed government, and good citizens must stand by the lawful right of every man 10 work In peace and safety. The se- curing of that inestimable privilege was one of the things secured to us by the revo- lution of 118 years ago.
 MT. Griffin opposed the idea that man who had work offered him and wouldn't take it forfeited sympathy. He contended that men were justified in fixing price on their services and refusing less if offered.
 The resolutions us unanimously adopted are as follows:
 Whereas, The peace and quiet of Jeffer- son county was ordinarily good prior to the existing strike of those of her citizens who were engaged in mining coal; and
 Whereas, Disorder and violence soon fol- lowed that unfortunate occurrences; and
 WDereAf, EVer sluco US inception laWleSB- ness has been on the increase until it has eliminated in the most reprehensible of crimes, towit: Intimidation, theft, de- struction of property, arson and murder; and,
 Whereas, This prolonged idleness has reduced innocent women and children to the extreme of want and degraded able bodied men into vagrants and beggars, and supplied the hungry and vicious, whether miners or not, witA pretexts for crime of ha nuf hnn xino kor nfa hor fnr ha
 Resolved, l. That this deplorable con- dition is indirectly, if not directly, trace able to the continuation of the strike,
 2. That the said strike has so far been manlfestly unsuccessful, and that it's longer continuance will be like destruc- tive of the best interests of the miners and of this community.
 8. We believe we voice the sentiments of all good citizens in saying these men stopped work by general consent, under the advisement of their leaders, and would return to work if they were so counseled by those same leaders; therefore, these said leaders are, and should be so held, responsible for the longer continuance of all such vice and crime as may result from the idleness they are enforcing.
 4. We recognize the right of the laborer to cease work when he chooses, and of the employer to employ whom he chooses, the rate of pay being a matter between em- ployer and employed; but we see in the present strike every indication of a lost fight on the part of the laborer, and its further continuance is working un- told injury to the laborer and his family and the community and re- sulting in the importation of labor from other sections to drive out the men who had become citizens and identified with us, aud we therefore appeal to those in charge of this now unwise and fruitIess struggle to bring it to an end and save the men, their wives and children from further suffering and this district from the further reign of lawlessness.
 5. We pledge ourselves to do all in our power to enforce the law to protect life and property and to keep the peace. To that end we will do what we can to ferret out the perpetrators of crime to have vis- ited upon them n,erited punishment.
 6. That the citizens of Birming-- ham and of Alabama owe debt of gratitude to his excellency, Thomas G.. Jones, governor of Alabama, and George M. Morrow, sheriff of Jefferson county, and J. c. Musgrove, United States mar shal of this district, for the prompt and energetic means adopted and used to pro- tect persons and property under the con- stitution and laws of the state and United States.