The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-21

y 4 last summer In the course OF q public al
1 drees made In tho city hall upon kindred
subject. declared my sympathy betaus
| felt that the demand then made BY tn
company was an unjust and an ndefcnsibl,
Z Interference with the liberty OF the IN
| dividuai citizen
But sympathy with men in the right ant
an espousal OF their cause when the,
trangress tho law are two entirely dit
fcrcnt matters.
do not know Mr.. Chase nor am IL
any way interested In the Street Railway
company, but tho assault upon Mr.. Chase
was, by whoever made, an unJustifiablt
and brutal act OF violence, which | tan
not believe any law-abiding laboring man
approves.
Mr.. Chase had the legal right to use all
reasonable means in his power to protect
the property OF his employer and to OPP
| crate the cars In due compliance With the
charter obligations OF the company. and
| when for so doing he was stricken down
| the act was violation Of Law and should
death ensue will be murder, and / do not
| believe that conservative, iaw-rsspectiue
laboring men OF Houston indorsc murder
as a means to achieve any end.
Lawlessnoss never did and never Will
settle any matter OF dispute between en-
ploycr and employe. II wrongs both and
benefits neither. The question at issue now
before the people Of Houston presents IT.
self afYfrmatively and distinctly In two
nspcrts-one legal and technical and the
other moral
Viewed in the former aspect the com
pany has the right to employ whom It
plcases at such wages as those employed
viii accept, and those so accepting have
the right to labor for such wages as they
see at TO agree to receive as compensation,
and should be protected In their exercise
or that right by the whole power of the
city. the county and, II need be, the
state. No reasonable man looking at the
matter from the standpoint of legal right
can dispute this proposition.
On the other hand. every street railway
employe has the right to decline to work
II the wages offered are not suitable, but
be has neither the legal nor moral right
TO use force or violence to prevent others
from working who choose to do so, and
II he does use such force and violence for
such purpose, he becomes n vioiator of
the law and should be prosecuted and pun
ished
He has the right to invoke the rules OF
the association to which he belongs. and
to which he has the right to belong aud
to use any degree Of personal influence or
persuasion, but when he transcends that
limit md resorts to either destruction OF
or injury TO property or violence TO In
divid,als he arrays himself against or
saniaed society aud transgrcsaes the law
which is but the expressed will OF the
people
II one of the employees of the comnanv
were TO como to me to employ me as a
lawyer and offer me such fee as he deemed
proper or telt able to pay aud / should
not see ut to render the service for tbe
compensation offered. | would but exercise
natural aud legal right Just as he would
no II ne should then 10 to some other
ll1Nfsn mo- H..
Wiling to serve for the proifered fee and
employ him; but Il I should. because that
lawyer accepted the fee and undertook the
HerVice, abuse or assault him and pre-
vent him rendering the service would
DO gross violator OF law. Tho two cases
arc exactly parallel
! nave endeavored to state clearly ana
the strictly legal phase OF
tne question. but the other phase rests on
aalnerent and higher grounds--that is. the
DUTY OF man toward his fellow man in the
CONAN of abstract right and morals.-a
sphere INTO which the lazy of the land
does not assume to extend Its powers
me company should nav its employees
every dollar In wages that II can pay after
meeting other inevitable and necessary ex.
tenses and charges. and receiving n fair
dividend upon Its actual investment In
inc enterprise. II IL must by reason of
US reoeipts pay either small wages and n
large dividend. or large wages and n small
DIVIDEND, II should choose the latter al
ternatVe. 1t has the strictly legal and
technical right To get men for thu ,o,vest
wages possible il il can thereby increosa
lts nrohts by decreasing It's expenses. hut
u mas not the moral right TO cut wages
DeloW what is sufficient for decent living
LOT its employees and their families. In or
uT 10 make more money. | do not assume
OF chi'rs9 that II has lone so, but simply
state 1t as truth resting on the eternal
foundation OF right and Justice TINT Il bes
not the moral right to do 30. rho law ~
man may sivc 1t this right but the higher
law laid down by Him who spake MS never
man spoke" does not give II. And these
ever Recurring disputes between labor and
oapitai VIII never be prevented untll the
eternal principles OF that higher law nvo
invoked and applied.
There are those who will sheer at this
statement and laugh II to seorn." hut n is
rue nevertheless, for there is more of
Wisdom and moro of help toward the solu-
'ion OF pending social problems In thu
alVino utteranco. "As We would that others
should DO unto you, do We even 40 Ia
lncm than Is to be found in all the ut
.e,ahoes OF sociai philosophers and politi-
''i economists since the dawn of time.
do not assume to know what the earp-
MSS on expenses Of the company are, nor
low much wages II can afford to nav. and
only state principles which ought to be
lairly applied to existing facts whatever
hey may be-
know nothing of the character or dis
position of the nonresident stockboISors
ana officers of the road. nor do feel nre.
pared 10 Judge OF the motives or purposes
u those vested with It's actual daily nan
hsement, but ! do know that there are on
US board OF directors resident citizens ~
'.ous.on VINO nave never been unirlendly
70 labor, but who, on the contrary, nave
~ many and OF repeated. but unostantn-
.ious, acts Of beneyolence signally and no.
ply shown that they are not men Who
Muuip lor purposes OF gain storve the la
me- men DO approached In proper spirit ali
differences can be adjusted-for love Of
sam doss not blind their sense OF r'xht.
they should be approached, not N
'pirit OF dictation or in tones OF demand.
ior on me other hand In an attitude Of L
Extraordinarily handing ~. - |