The Portland daily press., 1897-09-01
TALKING WILDLY.
Big Labor Congress Makes Some
Startling Statements.
SAYS NO MAN is FREE WHO Is NOT
ALLOWED TO BEAR ARMS.

The Judiciary is Supreme and Freemep
Have Not So Much Liberty as Cat
tie and Swine-Exercise of the Com.
monest Rights of Man Have Been De
MED and Made Crimes-A Gathering In
Which Common Sense and Reason
Seems Dormant-Eu ugene Debs at If
Again.
st. Louis, August 31-The conference
OF labor leaders of the country which has
been in session here two days, finished
its work this evening. The meeting was
productive of several sensational speech
es and many resolutions, yet no action
was taken in the principal matter for
which the gathering was summoned-the
abolishment of government by injunc-
tions. The convention which had been
announced as the last one of it's kind
to be held, while adjourning sine die, has
merely postponed action on the matters
before it, for three weeks, as a call fer
a similar conference to be held in Chicago
Monday, September 81, was issued. True,
the convention ordered its chairman, Mr..
Pomeroy of the International Typographi-
cal Union, to request President Mckinley
in the name of the convention to call a
special session of Congress for the pur-
pose of defining the authority of judges
in the matter of injdnctions, but as the
President will hardly receive the commu-
nication in time to convene Congress in
three weeks, even should he consider the
matter favorably, the Chicago gathering
may take action which would render to-
days movement void and decide to act in
another, manner. Mr.. Debs and Social
Democracy dominated the convention
and the famous labor leader carried the
gathering off Its feet this afternoon in
one Of his CHARACTERISTIC speeches. A
resolution introduced by Mr.. Mahon of
Detroit, calling upon ali miners now at
work, to desert their posts and terming
them enemies of human liberty SO long
as they remained on duty, was adopted. I
St. Louis, Mo-, August 31.-The dele
gates to the convention of labor leaders
were slow in assembling this morning
and it was nearly an hour after the time
set for the meeting before the body was
called to order.
1t was ten O'Clock when the committee
on resolutions entered the hall. Mr..
Berger, in presenting the resolutions,
spoke of the great task that committee
had before it,. He said the report to be
submitted was the best the committee
could do under the circumstances. The
platform as presented. reads:
Il. E
of the republic has been justified The
Judiciary has become supreme. We wit
| ness a political phenomenon absolutely
new in the history of the world, a repub-
| lie prostrate at the feet of the judges ap-
pointed to administer the laws. They
acknowledge no superior on earth and
their despotic deeds recall Milton's warn
ing to his countrymen: 'sWho bids man
rule over his above law, may bid as well
a savage beast.''
| Under the cunning form of injunctions,
courts have assumed to enact criminal
laws, and after thus drawing to them
selves the power of legislation, have re-
pealed the bill of rights and for.violations
of these court made laws, have denied the
accused the right of trial by jury.
The exercise of the commonest rights
of free men-the right of assembly, the
right OF free speech, the right of travelling
the public highways, have by legislation,
under the form of injunctions, been made
a crime, and armed forces disperses imobs
the people daring, in company, to exercise
these rights. At its last term the Su-
| pIeme Court Of the United States decided
that the thirteenth amendment forbiddine
| involuntary servitude is not violated by
arresting seaman, imprisoning him un.
til his vessel is ready to leave port and the
forcibly putting him on board to serve
out the term of his contract; decision
under which the old fugitive slave laws
may be revived and striking laborers be
seized and returned to the service of their
masters.