The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-29
THURSDAY, MARCH %, 1900.
LEAVE IT ABSOLUTELY ALONE

On Monday last the Committee on the
Judiciary of the House Of Representa-
tives heard President Gompers and Sec
rotary Morrison, Of the Federation of
Labor; Jackson II. Ralston. counsel for
that orga nization: II. r. Fuller, repre-
senting the various railroad brother
hoods. and Il. Nv. Szegedy, president of
the Central Labor Union. of Washing
ton, upon a bill which has been intro
duced in Congress to limit the powers
OF the United States Courts to grant
dniunctions 1t is to be noted that
above is an officer OF 4 labor organiZa-
ton. The man who does not see that
the application for limiting the powers
of the courts to grant injunctions is the
same thing as a proposition that the
mob may burn property and beat and
intimidate workmen who do not agree
with it, as blind indeed to the current
history of the day. 1t is a great pity
that the leaders of labor organizations
connect themselves with a movement of
this sort. Labor's true interests will
never be advanced by violence, and
movement of this sort tends to ALLEVIATE
from labor's cause the conservative men
who deeply sympathize with it and wish
TO aid it In every proper way. and who
could aid it most materially if they were
allowed freedom to argue dts cause and
call for such redress as reason entities
1t to.
The powers of the courts in respect to
iniunctions ought not TO be interfered
with in the smallest degree. They stand
upon a footing that is heavy with age.
and that is sanctitied by the best conclu-
sions of the best minds the world has
had through succession Of centuries.
The early theory of our Anglo-SaNon
institutions was that no man was to
be restrained when he desired TO do a
thing whether the thing proposed was
q violation of another's rights or whether
II was not It was thought that Il the
lawless man was made TO answer before
Jury for wrongful act. the injured
man had all the redress that he was
entitled to. But as the arts developed
and Knowledge increased it was seen that
this theory belonged to barbariSm. and
so, in the course of time the old doc
trine was modified to the extent that
the courts would grant injunctions to
resrain the commission Of unlawful acts
II the injury threatened was one that
could not be adequately compensated in
damages by the verdict of a jury. This
the best thought of the best men of our
ancestors concluded was necessary. and
with some exceptions, not necessary TO
be mentioned here, il is the modification
NJ The old rule in force to-day. That
modification leaves the ancient principles
of our constitution In full force except
where they would work injustice, and
Il secures justice where the old princi-
eles would carry injustice to the extent
Or destroying our civilization
The modification cannot be interfcred
with in the smallest degree. To touch
81 at all is TO pull down the whole
fabric There is to be no injunction II
The injury can be adequately compen-
stated in damages by the verdict of a
Jury. but every threatened injury Is to
be en5oined If 1T cannot be adequately
compensated in damages by the verdict
"a of jury. That principle is not to be
modified IN the smallest degree.
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