San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-05-27
A. r. U. Defeated.

decided the application of Eugene
V. Debs, the strike leader, for
habeas corpus. This is a victory
for the government. No more I'M
portant question, with the single
exception OF the income tax, has
come before the Supreme court
during the past year than the at.
tempt OF E. V. Debs and other Of
fcers Of the American Railway
Union to secure a reversal Of their
sentences to jail by Judge Woods,
for interfering with interstate COM
nero and running Of mails in the
great railroad strike OF last sum-
mer. The history Of the case is
still fresh in the public memory,
but it has an Importance beyond
the question Of imprisonment Of
the American Railway Union Of
ticers, because Of its largely in
volved principle Of a Judge having
jurisdiction and large interest by
virtue of receiverships created by
them to prevent labor troubles
through the instrumentality of in
JuhCtlNuSs
Nearly one-third of the railway
property of the United States being
in the hands Of receivers appointed
by federal courts, the precedent to
be established with the application
technically for a writ of habeas cor
pus and certiorari, arises from a
case in equity Of the Union Trust
company against the Atchison, To-
peka and Santa Fe. Since the re-
ownership under which the Circuit
court exercised jurisdiction over
the Santa Fe and its allied roads
was created in the case, on July 2,
'94, when the great railway strike
was threatening, the receivers ap-
piled to Judge Woods, OF theCircuit
court for the northern district Of
Illinois, for an injunction against
the American Railway Union to
prevent it from melting the em-
ployes to strike. Judge Woods
signed the order presented, which
was a sweeping one enjoining the
officers OF the Union from interior
| ing with the mails or with inter-
state commerce Or from Destroy
ing property, and from compelling
or inducing employees Of the road
to strike, by violence or intimida.
ton or from aiding or abetting
them to do any Of these things.
The American Rail way Union
decreed a strike on the Illinois
Central railway, one OF those in
cluded in the injunction. The gen.
eral officers of the union were
brought before Judge Woods for
contempt Of court last December.
E. V. Debs, president, was sem
fenced to six months in jail and
seven others, G. w. Howard, Syl-
vester Keliher, l.. w. Rogers, Jas.
Hogan, VIM. E. Burns, Roy NJ.
Goodwin and Martin j. Elliott
we're sentenced to three months.
1t appears the injunction had been
personally served on the first four
officers, but Judge Woods held
that it's publication in the news
papers was sufficient service in it.
self for all defendants. Application
was made to Supreme court for the
release of the eight officers by writ
of Habeas Corpus and pending the
decision Of the Supreme court they
have been given their freedom
under bail. Counsel for Debs and
his associates base their applica-
ton on the grounds that their SEN
tence was without Indictment and
trial by jury in violation
of the constitution; also
that the injunction was void
because the bill asking for it stated
no case Of which the court could
take cognizance and was in effect a
bill by the government of United
States to maintain the public
peace and enjoin violations Of the
penal code. The decision Of the
court was unanimous.
The conclusions Of the court were
that the government Of the United
States having jurisdiction over
every foot Of soil and over every
individual within the boundaries
of the United States and that while
on limited powers it had sovereign
ity within these limitations, it
had the power to invoke the
civil court to remove distractions
to interstate commerce and the
civil courts had the right to enjoin
those who made such obstruction
to such commerce. The injunction
was no bar to criminal processes for
acts done in violation Of the in
junction. The Circuit court hav-
ing final jurisdiction its act was
RENEWAL by the Supreme court on
the application for the writ Of