Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-18
LIBERTY is WANING.
Federal Court Iniunotlons Ara Hut Com
puisory Arbitration with Only Oas
side Represented,


In December, 1900, John T.. Reese,
an official Of the Miners union, was
imprisoned at Fort Scott, Kan, with
out trial by jury, by federal Judge,
for an alleged violation Of an inJunc-
ton restraining him from comforting
with striking miners, The higher
court has recently reversed the action
Of this injunction Judge and has grant
cd Reese his liberty.
Tho Minnesota Union Advocate,
from which Journal this information
was taken, said at the time Of lleese's
imprisonment;
"A more dangerous assault has not
been committed on the principles OF
organized labor or on individual liber-
~ Of speech and action within the law
than that pcrpetruted At Fort Scott,
KAN by n federal Judge n few days ago.
Organized labor has had thereby
thrown down to II u challenge which
involves It's very existence, II II con.
fronted by the exercise Of the most
tyrnnnous principle that finds oper'
alton under popular form Of gov
ernmcnt--the power Of court to
infllct arbitrary punishment on the
citizen. The court In that case chose
n lending representative OF our cause,
engaged In comforting with his fellow
laborers in peaceful and lawful man
ner, and issued lis edlct by which he
Is deprived Of his liberty for the next
three months.
"0ver in Germany, and, we believe,
in other countries OF continental Eu-
rope, they have n principle In opera.
tion that any man who speaks disre'
specially Of the relgnlDg sovereign
mny be put In Jail. But he In not put
in jail until examination has been had
into the extent Of his offending, Here
In the United States, when so-cnllcd
court of justice feels lis dignity Of
Tended, II Is able 10 put the citizen
out Of the sunlight by Its mere sNy'so,
No need of an examination Of trial
or any other formulity, A word spok-
en- or an act done, or alleged TO have
been spoken or done, which, in the
opinion Of that court, involves con-
tempt toward II or It's DEGREES, sub
iects the accused ipso fucto 10 what
ever punishment that court may
choose to impose on him.
"rhis Is the principle involved in this
case. The man who issued the edct
Is the enemy of labor, the tool of the
corporation, which--it is, no doubt,
capable of proof-plNces him where
he In. II Is not without counterpnrts
by any means in the so-called admin
istration of justice. A few years ago
n Nebraska judge committed himself
to the assertion, of the same princi-
pie in treating attorneys who APP
peared before him and who had the
courage TO defy him, But his edict
was repudiated by the highest court
in the state, and he was severely rep
rimanded for assuming arbitrary pow
ers.
"But the offender whom we have
TO deal with is n federal Officer Prac-
tlcally there Is no way open to the
man and the cause which he thus out
RACES, save the course which free So
ciety always has, Of defiance and de.
nuncintl0n,"
But the corporation carried It's point
in getting rid of Reese during the
strike, The federal Judge did their
bidding. This Judge Is not elected by
the people and is not responsible to
the people. He is appointed for life |
by the president of the United States
Such appointments IRE usually awards
for partizan service or made upon the
requests Of corporations,
Workingmen are hclplcssly the
slaves of the judicial system OF the
United States as the Italian impover-
ished workingmen are of the monur-
chial system Of Italy The American |
judges, are as omnipoiept MS the Ital-
ian king, and can only be removed in
the same manner. Any government |
that makes assassination the only re-
course of the people TO escape the
power of tyrOnnical ruler makes
anarchists" of n proportion Of its pop
ulation. No man, be he American
judge or Italian king, should hold i'm.
pcrial sway over his subjects, The
time has come for working people to
call halt. II they fail to do so, by
the exercise Of their franchise then
the blamc rests on them, Locomotive
Fircmen's Magazine.