The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-08-30

/ any lawful OTBAnlN&tlOn Ut anrvCtdetVti
| that he may see ut TO join. and 10 long as
membership in such body does net Inter-
fere with him in the proper performance
| al the work for which he is paid. no man
has the right TO object to such member
ship. When that organization stirs up
| needless strife. and incitcs TO riot. and
| its members become law breakers the law
| should be invoked against them TO pro-
| tect the public and preserve the peace.
| In the instance referred TO public opinion
| sustained the men and trouble was hap
| piIv avoided. l think some OF the men
went too far In congregating on the street
and denouncing the men who chose TO
work. but II their acts were such as to
violate any law or city ordinance. such
| law or ordinance could have been in
/ voked against them and neither equity nor
| Injunction had anything to do with them.
| gather from the public prints that the
miners have used no violence. They have
assaulted nobody. They have not injured
burned. killed or destroyed but have sim
ply gathered In groups and perhaps In
large bodies and sought to dssuade other
minors from working and TO persuade
them TO ioin in the refusal to work.
This they had a lawful constitutional
right to do. In doing 1t they violated no
Law. human or divine. / lay down here the
plain legal proposition that II they were
guilty OF the offence OF unlawful assent
statutes OF Texas and doubtless in those
Of other States. then they should have
been proceeded against under the penal
code. II thew had not assembled unlaw-
fullv--then their assembling was lawful.
and II so no court or Judge on earth had the
right to enion such assembly, and no war
rant or authority for so doing can be found
in any law book ever printed since the
dawn OF time. No man more thoroughly
believes IN maintaining and upholding the
law than / do. and when an injunction Is
issued on proper grounds and within
proper score and limitations and II is vio-
lated or disobeyed the court should punish
such disobedlcnce but when a court as
sumcs or undertakes to enjoln men from
tho exercise OF the plain personal right TO
persuade or dlssuade his fellow man from
any course. or to appeal to or reason or
argue with him and TO assemble In bodies,
large or small. fer such purposes. such
court transcends the limits OF its powers,
and It's act is judicial tyranny, the most
lnsldious and dangerous form OF tyranny
which can condemn with all my heart
But II may be said that the men were
trcspassing upon private property, II so.
there was n remedy against such trespass
without resorting to Injunction.
Again IL may be said that under ex-
listing financial and industrial conditions
the operators cculd not pay better wages
their capital invested.
Admitting for the sake of argument that
this is true, then J say they should have
paid better wages anyway. so long rs they
did not operate at an actual loss Of their
principal II the alternative was present
cd OF paving such wages az would enable
the net, to sustain life AMI live decently
while the operators for line were com
PEELED &c forego dividends, or of paying
inadequate wages while dividends were
earned the former alternative should
have been adopted. This statement may
not meet the approval OF many, but |
am willitg to stand by Il. | make 1t be-
cause the owners Of the mines are In
the main wealthy men. the mest OF whom
have ample means outside of those in
vested IN mining whrrewith 20 support
their families while their laborers have
not. and upon the broad principle OF
humanity and of confederation for the
welfare OF their fellow men, 1t Is better
that the operators for Il time should fore
20 profits and dividends Whereby their
wealth is further increased than that thou.
sands OF toilers and their wives and chill
dren should suffer. Bring the question
home to Houston; suppose the managers OF
a bank in Houston should say to their en-
ployes, We can not pay you the salaries
We are now paying and earn enough divi-
dends, but " we reduce your salaries to
point where we know you can not live
deccntly we can earn dividends; hence we
| viii reduce thcm That bank would have
| tho abstract legal right to do So hut such
action In the higher forum OF conscience,
morals and humanity would be utterly
| inhuman and ineXcusablc. II enc OF two
| parties In Il common enterprise must make
a sacrifice In order TO tide over tenn
porary adverse conditions. let 1t be made
| by the one best able to make it, Justice,
charity. humanity and every noble and
| lofty virtue demands that Il should do so.
But II may be said that this liz mere sen
| timcnt and that there is no sentiment or
| sentimen,alty In business and that he
| fore the greed for gold pity and sentiment
| 20 down. and that the jrggcrnaut OF
| finance and gain moves on mercilcssly
| over its victims,
This may be so, but 1t ought not to be
| so. and the warning ''haufs in the air.
that II must not be so u this republic is
| to stand and free institutions be pre-
| served.
| There should be and there must be in
this matter and in all business matters a
sentiment OF charity, hLeralty. kindne SIS
and confederation for the interests and
welfare OF others. There is no other way
whereby labor and capital. each essential
TO the other. can be brought into and
kept In harmonious and profitable rela-
| ton.
Grave problems confront the people OF
this nation problems upon the proper So
luton o. which depend the welfare and
happiness OF millions who now live and
OF generations yet unborn ana the destiny
OF this nation Is In tie hands of the grea,
mass OF the common people.
folitienns can not settle these questions
| the tarin can not DO II statesmen can not
do 1t; political economists can not do 1t
All theft oratons and platforms and the
| cries are as sounding brass and Il tinklins
eymoal.' That talismanic statement OF
living and eternal truth. the application
| or which alone can settle them, MAS laid
Gown nearly nineteen hundred years ago
to the multitude OH the mountain side by
Him who spake as never man spake" in
the most memorable discourse that ever
fell upon the ears of waiting humanlty
ms yc would that others should do unto
you, do ye ever so to them" God forbid
that should ever appear to snake broad
my phslacteries" before you or indulge
In any pharsaioal can't bur | am not
ashamed TO say to you that believe pro-
foundly In the truths and PRINCIPLES OF the
christian religion as laid down by the hi.
vino Teacher, and | say to you that when
mans treatment OF his fellow man and