The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-28

and the miners cry for relief for some de-
gree of justice and touches the responsive
chord in the hearts and consciences of the
whole people Drudging at wages when en-
ployed which are inadequate and portend
misery, starvation and slavery the miners
are confronted with condition by which
their scant earnings are denied them ex-
cept through the, company pluck-me
stores which outshylock the worst fea-
lures of the nefarious system is a stigma
on the escutcheon OF our country and d blot
on our civilization.
''We the representatives of the trades
unions and of all organized labor of the
United States, in convention assembled TO
consider the pending struggle of the miners
for wages sufhclent to enable them to live
and to enjoy at least some degree of the
necessities Of life are determined to forever
put q stop to state of starvation in which
they are now engulfed The deplorable con-
dition of the miners Is we'll known to all
of our people. They live in novels. unable
to buy sufficient bread to ward off starva-
ton in many cases not sufficiently clothed
to cover their nakedness and their children
unfit to attend school because of lack of
food and clotnlng. making them danger
to the future stability of our Republic. We
feel assured that all men and women who
love their families or who have one spark
of humane sympathy for their fellows can
not fail to give all the aid in their power
TO enable the miners to win their present
battle.
1.-The representatives of the miners have
been restrained by injunction when eXer-
cising their fundamental right of public as
sembly and free speech TO present to the
world their grievances. We as American
citizens resent this interference with the
rights guaranteed to US under the COnstitu-
ton. In the ordinary affairs of life all en-
joy privileges and rights which constitu-
tions neither confer nor deny, but the guar
antee of the right Of public assembly and
free speech was intended to give oppOr-
tunity to the people or any portion of them
to present the grievances from which they
suffer and which they aim to redress.
I'VE denoUnce the issuance of injunctions
by the judges of West Virginia. Pennsylva-
MIA and other States as wholly unjustitied,
unwarranted, and unprecedented, more es-
pecially in the absence of any exhibition
of manifestation of force on the part Of the
outraged miners. We call on the Governor
all other States and Of all public officials
for full and ample protection in the eXer-
else of our rights of free speech and pubic
assemblage We have no desire to tres
mand protection in the exercise of those
rights handed down to us by the founders
of the Republic. We recommend that indiS-
nation mass meetings be held throughout
condemnation of the unwarranted lnJunc-
ton in interfering with the free rights OF
free assembage and free speech, and we
also extend sympathy and support to the
mine workers to the utmost extent
I'VE hereby call on each national ana
international organization of labor to send
representatives to act for and by the dlreC-
ton of the united workers as organizers in
West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Such
other States as may be necessary. Fully
imbued with the heroic struggle which the
miners are making for pure womanhood
and innocent childhood for deconcy, for
manhood and for civilization and with con-
sciousness of the justice of their cause ana
of the responsibility of their actions, we
call on the workingmen of our country 10
lend all possible assistance to our Surering,
struggling fellow-workers of the mines and
to unite in defense of our homes our rights,
our citizenship and our country.