The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1901-08-15
LIBERTY ENDANGERED.
Usurpation Ky Injunction an Evil
of the Times
JUDGES sUBsERvIENT TO TRUSTS,

State Lines Broken Down ana Police
Power of Municipalities Lodged In
the United states Army--Power OF
Local Grand Juries Usurped-Citi-
sens Lives at the Mercy Of Fed
eral Hirelings.
The subserviency of Republican judges
to the trusts has for some time been a
crying evil, but 1t remains for federal
Judge from McKinley's own state to
outdo all competition In his efforts to
aid corporations.
The judge in question, named Wing,
issued a sweeping injunction against
''picketing" by striking iron molders at
Cleveland In issuing the Injunction
he made 1t broad enough to include
pee ceable persua sion by the strikers to
the Honunion men, using the following
extraordinary language In reply to the
objection that picketing consisted only
In arguing with nonstrikers with a
view to peaceably persuading them not
to work: Persuasion Of itself, long con-
| tinued, may become a nuisance and un-
lawful" There is no statute, federal
or state, upon which to found such an
| Injunction and the Judge who issues
such Is usurping authority that breaks
down all the safeguards of the Innocent
when falsely accused.
He also usurps the functions of the
| king power and the functions Of
the grand and petit jurles, for the ac-
Il. - AI4 strrhk 90 hn
confronted by and to cross examine
his accusers.
In this connection there Is also a
much greater danger to the life and
| liberty of the citizen. The case was
well stated in the Chicago Public:
"By this means the federal courts and
all their officers, the president as COM
mander in chief and the regular army
he commands, together with all the
other powers that center In Washing
ton, are brought into play for the regu-
lation of the local peace. State lines
are broken down, and the police power
OF states and municipalities Is lodged
with the commander in chief of the
American armies. Persuasion for in
stance, such as the term 'plcketing' in
labor strikes includes IL by long con-
tinuance or for any other reason 1t be-
comes an offense, Is most clearly an
offense not against the federal power,
but against the local peace. The same
thing is true Of every possible act Of
strikers, however criminal. These
crimes are breaches Of the local peace.
If the municipal authorities cannot re-
| strain them, they may apply to the
state authorities for aid, and the state
authorities may IN turn invoke the aid
of the federal authorities. In that way
the federal army might legitimately be
called upon to preserve the local peace.
Let 1t be observed, however, that the
call for such interference then goes up
from the locality. There Is no usurpa-
| ton, no invasion. But II federal
court enjoins these breaches of the
| local peace and then, under pretense Of
| violations of the injunction, Furnishes
| for contempt, II may call In federal
marshals and federal troops over the
heads and, 1t may be, against the pro-
tests Of local authorities.
''Thus II does away with local grand
] 5uries. local petit juries. local officers
Of all kinds. 1t turns the local peace
Of every community over to the regu-
lation of judges appointed by the presi-
dent, whose interests and ambitions
tend to ALLEVIATE them from local inter-
ests and sympathies. Back Of them
are as many deputy marshals as they
wish. also alienated from local sympa-
thies. and federal army of hirelings
" they need 1t. In word, federal in
functions for the preservation of the
local peace lay firm foundations for an
autocracy as irresponsible as any that
ever cursed Europe"