The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-01
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Daily - as1le
NJ. NJ. MURDOCH, Editor.
ABOUT THE IMMINENT.


ABOUT THE IMMINENT.
More than one orator at the St Louis
tabor convention of day before yester-
fay gave voice to the opinion, which
has been frequently reiterated by radl-
cal magazines and papers of late, that
a great crisis confrents the people of the
United States and their government,
crisis which Involves not only the re-
spective rights of labor and capital and
of social and industrial conditions gen
erally. but the fundamental principles
upon which the government is based as
WELL including the federal courts and
other courts of last resort, and especially
the power inhering in any court to COM
mand or order by injunction.
The trouble with great deal of this
talk, or rather the reason why it never
amounts TO more than talk, Is that self
constituted advocates Of the peoples
rights. and the self chosen delegates to
conventions for righting wrongs, do
not represent the majority sentiment of
The country. Their talks acts and grlev-
ances. as a rule, fail even to interest the
great mass Of men. Take the present
coal strike, which is as formidable as
ANYTHING of the character which has oc-
CURED in the country for years, and
how few. comparatively. are the indi-
yidual communities Of this country that
are interested enough TO take any ac-
ton one way or the other. Wichita, nor
a town or city in Kansas, save half
dozen coal mining towns, is not inter
ested beyond an unexpreSSed sentlmen-
tai point. Only the mining and manu-
featuring localities Of other states are
noticeably affected. The great majority
of people who read and think and love.
justice sympathize more or less keenly
with the coal miners. Right is on their
side and any pressure whichever they
might bring TO force concessions to
their demands would be approved by
such majority. But the sympathiZers
will go no farther. Then there comes
another large per cent, who care not
particularly. one way or the other, who
would as readily hurrah for one side as
for the other, according to the veer of
the wind.
The trouble with these prophets of
imminent crises and impending epochs
is that in their own intense convictions
and desires they fail TO consider the
magnitude Of the situation, the ampli-
tude of the aggregated interests involv-
ed, and that an interest must he para
move to action seventy or eighty mill
ions Of people.
There can be no crisis or epoch |
amounting TO a revolution, such as
would re-word constitutions, relegate !
courts and place civilization on a diff |
ferent and new footing with reference !
TO capital and labor. much less one that |
would effect the abrogation Of the rights |
of ownership. grow out of the discon- |
tent of a minor section Of a single class |
There are other laborers than coal dig |
gers. A revolutionary crisis in the in |
terest Of labor would he impossible in |
the absence of the active sympathy of |
a large majority of all laborerS. and a
sympthy which would have to over |
shdow any and all interests the individ- |
ual might have directly or indirectly in
capital as controlled ny others. or as
in his individual ownership. |
For such a crisis the mine-wage must |
not only fail but that of the field and |
factory as well, that of the warehouse. |
of the street and of the railway. and of /
every conceivable channel in which |
muscle is prerequisite.
A country may become too great and
diversified in its interests for a revolu-
ton to be possible. 1t looks as If the
United States had grown to be such a
Concentrated powers upon the
One hand and wrong upon the other are
necessary TO revolution. other than
peaceful ones and by constitutional
While there must be last
resort, place Of final appeal. and while
n government of the people courts
have been clothed with that power. we
still believe that the powers of the fed
eral and OF many of the state courts
should be curtailed. As Il people we are
ruled to too great an extent by bench
made laws. The jury is the only safe
guard left TO the people in the courts.
But Juries are not permitted to pass up
IN questions Of law. A jury of lawyers
with such power would he safer than
the mandate of a single man sitting as
Judge There would be fewer iniunc-
ions, fewer judicial outrages. all
around, if every bench equalled in lis
number Of occupants that of the Jury
box.
Sir. Ratchford. Mr.. Dehs and the rest
are mistaken In their DEMONSTRATIONS
If a revolutionary crisis.
IN WONDERLAND.