Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1897-08-27
NO JUSTICE FOR STRIKERS.
Are the Rights Of Capital Superior to
the Rights Of Man?
[From The American.

[From The American.
The part taken by the courts in the
pending coal strike must leave bad
caste in the months of our wage earning
population that cannot fail TO do much
to destroy that respect for the courts,
and faith in their rulings, which is so in
dispensable for the successful workings
of our institutions. 1t is only by dis
pensing Justice, by securing every man,
never mind how meek and lowly, from
the aggresslons of his fellows however
rich or powerful such aggressors may
happen to be, only by protecting every
man in his rights, without prejudice or
preference, thai we can secure that cheer
full submission TO the law which is the
enemy of anarchy.
1t is by establishing a regime of JUS
tice and equity, not by the application OF
force, that we must strive to constrain
our people to live up to the law. Such
is the theory of our government.
If we dispense justice inequitably; If
we have one law for the powerful and
one for the poor; if we extend the pro-
tecting arm of government to the few
with capital but withhold it from the
many who sell their labor; indeed. lend
the strong arm of the law to protect those
who are preying upon the fruits of others
labor IN their aggressioDs, protect them
in crushing under foot and despoiling
their weaker fellows, we outrage the
spirit of our institutions. Law so dis
pensed will not be willingly, cheerfully
submitted to; it may be accepted by fear,
it will not be accepted by preference. and
instead of having that cheerful subm's'
sion to law that is the enemy Of anarchy.
we will have that resentful submission
that is the breeder of anarchy.
In mon archy or autocracy where the
spirit of men is broken, where they have
grown accustomed to injustice, and
where they have not the courage to re-
sist or even protest when their rights are
trampled upon, it may do to depend
upon force to beat men into submission
to law, but 1t will not do in America, at
least we think it will not do; it certainly
will not do if the Republic is not dead.
To attempt to govern by force, not by
justice, to dispense Justice according to a
measure of riches and power, will bring
on a cataclysm We say this not in an
alarmist vein.
dence in the attitude taken by the courts
toward the coal strike that they hold the
right to employ capital TO be more sacred
than the right to labor, that the coal
operators come first IN the eyes of the
law, and that where the interests OF oper.
ator and miner conflict, the interests OF
the operator must be upheld and guarded
over by the law without regard 10 the
interests of the miners. So we have men
asking: Is capital alone entitled to the
protection of the law? Have men no
rights that capital must respect?
1t is regrettable that men should be
asking these questions. regrettable that
there should be loss of respect for the
courts and faith in their rulings, regret
table, not indeed from the mere fact that
men should be asking these questions,
but from the fact that there should be
occasion for the asking. Our govern
ment cannot run on smoothly and peace
fully when the courts are held in disre.
spect, when they are looked upon as the
abettors of injustice and oppression not
the conservators Of equity. And it;is in
this light that the courts are putting
themselves by taking sides with the coal
operators in their efforts to crush out the
strike.
We repeat, it is regrettable that the
courts should put themselves in this light,
that they should have made
the occasion for men to ask if the strlk-
ing miners have no rights that the oper-
ators must respect, for if there are no
rights the individually powerful must
respect in dealing with those who are
weak but who may yet show
themselves to be invincible collectively,
the many can have no respect for the law,
aud such state is calculated to breed
anarchy. But the courts having put
themselves in this light, having made
the occasion for men to ask: is capita.
alone entitled to the protection Of the
law? have men no rights that capital
must respect? it is not only not regret
table but most fortunate that men should
ask these questions. If they did not it
would augur i'll for the life of our Re-
public. If the time ever comes when our
people no longer have the spirit to protest
against and resist injustice and aggres-
sion, liberty will be crushed under foot
and the Republic will die.
Capital is entitled to protection, all
men are entitled TO protection in the en-
ioyment or use of the wealth they can
honestly accumulate so long as they do
not spend it or use it to the detriment Of +!