Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1895-09-06
BE IN

The press and the people of our sister
town of Neihart are now singing "Jubi.
late Dec" and they have reason to do so
because they have won an honorable
fight in behalf of labor and one based
upon proper principles. If THE TRIBUNE
understands it right a mining company,
operating in that city, established a COM
pany store and boarding mouse, and is
sued a dictum that every married man
in the employ of the company should
patropize the store and every unmarried
man should patronize the boarding
house; the penalty for failure to obey
these orders being discharge from the
employ OF the company. Against this
unjust and unreasonable edict there was
a rebellion; a battle was inaugurated
and the result is that the store and
boarding house have been closed. 1t may
be that as a sequence the mine will be
closed, but better that than that the en-
ployes should be reduced to a condition
of serfdom. Company stores and board
ing houses are all right, as a legitimate
proposition, when they enter into com
petition with rivals, but when the man
ayers Of the mines and stores say that
the men must %patronize them under
pain Of dismissal from~ employment. they
are invading sacred and well established
individual rights. In this land every
laborer is or should lie worthy of his hire.
II he does not earn his wages he should
be discharged and Il competent man put
in his place. He agrees to give bis work
for a salary and he has a perfect right
to spend that salary as he elects. No
employer has a right to demand or to
exact any portion of that salary as a con-
ditlon Of employment. That theory or
practice does not go. and the Neihart
miners are to he congratulated that they
have won a victory. Let it be distinctly
remembered that The TRIBUNE agrees
with the Neihart miners because they
we've right. 1t is and has ever been the
friend and advocate of the workingman
in every just aud legitimate demand that
he has made and will continue to be SO.
Butyesterday being Labor Dayitsuggests
a thought that may be better discussed
than on any other day of the year. There
is a disposition on the part of some of
the alleged friends of labor not only to
be exacting but to be dogmatic. They
claim the right to have and express opin-
ions, but are not willing to accord the
same right to others. la doing this they
are treading on dangerous grounds. Free
dom of speech, so long as it does not
degenerate into license, is a right that is
dear to every citizen of the United States.
1t is a right that ia not conferred in or
confined to the so-called laboring men.
There are many worliingmen who are
in full sympathy with the union
men, but VINO are not and cannot be
identified with the organizations, They
are an important factor in the good Of
the commonwealth. To deny them the
right Of opinion is a gross injustice and
must react. The labor unions have a
fixed place in the economic system in
this land. That much is recognized,
but when they go beyond their legiti-
mate sphere and attempt to throttle
those who, though not inimical, differ
with them, they arc doing a wrong to
Themselves.
Organized labor is strong; it should
be strong; but it is by 10 means a united
house. Let the leaders take this sug,
gestion to heart and profit by it-otheI
people have rights as we'll as working.
men. No matter what the orators said
yesterday in their addresses the fact re,
mains that this nation is composed Of q
heterogeneous mass of individual think
ers and that they will do their OWL
thinking and voting, no matter to what
class they may belong. The toiler Of tc'
day may be the employer Of tomorrow
but no matter what may be in store fol-
US we are all citizens Of the United
States and entitled to our opinions and
the right to express them without any