The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-03

interested
employers or employees The desire for
justice is so universal that the public can
be depended upon to support the finding
certainly as it can to support the success
full contestant in a lawsuit. The court of
future and when it is secured and per-
fected, we shall wonder why its coming
The blacklist, by means Of which en-
ployers combine to deprive the discharged
Workmen of re-employment, is one Of the
more recent menaces to the laboring man.
The independence of the wage Garner de-
creases as the difficulty of obtaining en-
man. whose life has been spent in acquir
ing efficiency in a certain trade or occu-
the employer if every opportunity to make
use of his experience Is closed by agree
ment between employers.
The laboring man IS also interested in
legislation prohibiting oriental immigra-
ton. 1t is unfair to the American work.
man. who is the foundation of the nations
wealth in time of peace, and its defense
ger of having his occupation given to an
oriental labOrer, often brought in by con-
tract. who has no permanent interest in
our government II the As1atcs come
here, work for few years, live on a
lower scale, and then carry home the net
proceeds of their toll, the drain upon our
money supply will be similar to that caus-
ed by landlordism in other countries. The
political objections to oriental labor are
scarcely less weighty than the economic
ones Race prejudice can not be disre-
garled and we have seen how, in every
Industrial depression, race animositieS re-
suit in riot and bloodshed. We can not
afford to bring into this country those who
can not amalgamate with our people
The attempt to use the injunction of
court to deprive the laboring man of trial
while the wage Garner is the first to feel
it's effects, the principle which underlies
ing that no one can hope to escape ulti-
mately. The thing forbidden by an in
either legal or illegal. If it would be
legal, the judge usurps the function. Of
would be illegal, the Injunction of the
court is unnecessary, for any one who
violates the law, can, upon conviction, be
made to suffer the penalties prescribed for
such violation The meanest thief and the
most brutal murderer are entitled to trial
by jury: why should this right be denied
the laboring man. Those who oppose gov
ernment by Injunction are not in favor of
lawlessness; they are, on the contrary,
the best friends of law and order. They
deny the right of any man to violate the
law in an effort to advance his own inter-
ests but they insist that it is inconsistent
with our ideas of government and danger
Gus to all classes to invest any judge with
laws; second, to bring accusation against
those charged with the violation of the
the case. Government by injunction is IS so so
indefensible that the anti-injunction bill,
endorsed by tn Chicago platform, passed
the senate without a yea. and may vote be-
ing demanded and since that time no par
ty platform has specifically endorsed gov
ernment by injunction and no prominent
member of any party has entered upon
defense of the system.s and yet corporate
influence Is so strong that 1t has thu far
been impossible to secure any remedial
legislation The fact that United States
senators are elected by legislatures rather
than by the people directly lessons the
mans influence in securing fav-
orable federal legislation. When the ac-
ton of a political convention must be sub
mitted to the voters for ratification at the
polls the convention is constrained to
nominate a candidate acceptable to the
people: hut when a senator is chosen by
a legislature. the Individual voter is far
ry6a hT-fl1
cry is not employed, the indirect influence
which corporations can exert is resorted
secretly used to aid legislative candidates
in close districts. Such obligations are
rule, the majority in the caucus controls
the party which has the selection of the
to the voters. the majority in favor of
the election of senators by direct vote of
the people would be overw and
yet parusanship has delayed the adoption
of this amendment. The people submit
to policies which they do not like rather
than secure improvement by change in
party affiliations.
The laboring man favors direct legisla-
ton wherever practicable for the same
reason that he favors the election of sena-
tors by popular vote
Direct legislation bring the government
nearer to the voter. There is more virtue
through their REPRESENTATIVE. TO hold
that q renresentative can acf for the neo-
pie better than they can act for them
selves, is to assert that he is as much in
selves. and that his wisdom is greater
than the combined wisdom of the majority
Most, if not all, of the evils complained
of in government, are traceable to the
pie has personal interests at variance
with the interests of his constituency. Cor
governments is due to the misrepresenta-
ton of the people by public servants, who
use their positions for private advantage.
The people should have an opportunity to
vote on public questions when those ques-
tions can be submitted without too great
boring man is even interested in the prop
Osition to establish a labor bureau with a
cabinet officer al its head. Such a bureau
would keep the executive in constant
touch with the wage earners of the cOun-
try. and open the way to the redress of
labor is given a place in the presidents
official household, the man selected will
sentative of the people for whom he
speaks, and his presence at cabinet meet
ings will give to those who toll for their
daily bread, assurance that their interests
viii be properly guided
Mr.. Gompers, the chief executive of the
Federation of Labor has in his CORE
spondence with the secretary of the treas
reasons for opposing gold standard and
a national bank currency. that it is not
necessary to discuss those questions at
The laboring man has abundant reason
a speech delivered in Boston, more than a
year ago, in defense of the trusts, frankly
these combinations is that, in case of
local strikes or fires, the work goes on
elsewhere, thus preventing serious loss.'
Is it possible that any wage Garner can
fail to see how completely the trusts
places the employe at the mercy of the
employer?
The resolutions adopted by various labor
in condemnation of militar-
ism and Imperialism justify me in making
a brief reference to those questions No
class contributes more than the laboring
class, in proportion to its numbers, to the
rank and file of the army; no class con-
tributes more in proportion to its numbers
to the expense of the army, and no class
is more menaced by the existence of a
large army. Most of the countries in
Europe, which maintain large military es-
adjustments collect an income tax which
adjusts the burden of the government to
the income of the citizen. Here our fed
eral taxes are largely collected upon con-
nrnl in,c