Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-10-25
THE CORVALLIS GAZETTE.
IN CONTEMPT.

LII SI1NoSO -
chinists who are on a strike re-
sorted to "picketing" machine
shops and iron works, where {
they had quit work, with the
purpose of inducing the work
men who had filled the strikers
places to join in the strike and
thus rerder it impossible for the
operators to conduct their works.
The operators obtained a prelim-
mary injunction, issued by judge
Kohlsaat of the U. S. District
court. Thee then moved for
permanent injunction, and the
strikers were required to appear
and show cause whv the motion
should Mt be granted. The
strikers did so and the court pa
tiently heard testimony and ar
gument presented by each party.
The court reviewed the testi-
mony, explained to the defend
ants that they were grossly viola.
ting law, that the evidence was
quite sufficient to convict them
of conspiracy against the opera
tors, and clearly showed them
that it was impossible to practice
picketing without violation of
law. His construction and inter
probation of the law is just what
has been given by every court
before which a like case has been
brought, and the instances are
quite countless. Of course, the
Injunction was made permanent.
It could not be otherwise. To
the strikers, as law abiding citi-
zens, but two courses of action
then remained: To quietly obey
the decree Of the court; or to do
this and carry it by appeal to a
higher court. They did neither.
Their authorized agent said; "We
shall continue to post our pick.
cts. The people are with us, if
the law as interpreted by judge
Koh1saat is not y
These are men who represent
organized 1abor-who never tire
of asserting that they do not vio-
late the laws, do not for a mo-
nent contemplate anything of
the kind. Almost invariably,
after appealing to the law, and
obtaining a careful and just ex-
planation and application Of
it they refuse to abide by it until
punished for contempt, or forced
by the constabulary or the mill
tary to cease their unlawful con-
duct. It is small wonder that
multitudes Of intelligent, law.
abiding worknen refuse to iden.
tify themselves with the unions
1t is hardly probable that pub
lie sentiment in Chicago is il
sympathy with such contempt
for law. If it is, SO much the
worse for Chicago for the law anc
its Interpretation as presented by
the court applies to every city,
every state in the Union, and
everywhere has the certain sup
port of right public sentiment.
The Chicago court will probably
find way to enforce its DEGREES
and to punish contempt for its
mandates.
The friends of labor-inte1li-
gent labor everywhere-must de-
plore this attitude Of labor orga-
nizations toward the courts.
They must see, thousands do see,
that if every man is at liberty to
construe the law for himself the
end of all law is not far off.
But labor leaders and organiz-
ers essay more than this. They
not only place their own con.
struction on law, but Insist that
such construction shall be accept
ed by the entire mass of 1aborers.
They attempt to decide, practi-
oally do decide, for the whole
body of work1nen, just to what
extent they shall reader obedi-
ence to law OF whether, indeed,
it shall receive any degree Of
respect and compliance.
This is one feature of the tyran-
ny which few men through
the agency of "1abor unions"
exercise over the mass of labor
ers. It is feature fraught with
peril to all law, all order, all
justice. It leads only to one re-
sult-destruetive anarchy. 1t is
anarchy. Its peril lies in the
fact that it has a foot-hold in
every state of the Union and
wellds its pernicious influence
over hundreds of thousands of
men.
The people-t1le honest,
thoughtful, law respecting patri.
otlc people, must be brought to a
realization of the perils which