Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-08-20
THE CORVALLIS GAZETTE. !.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1901.
WISE UTTERANCES.

Ireland. He is all earnest, pa
triotic man, fully understanding
and ardently attached to Ameri-
can institutions, and quick to see
any assault upon the inherent
and lawful rights of any class of
citizens.
Speaking recently concerning
strikes, he said:
To employees entering Willingly il-to
strike the matter is one Of their own per
sonal concera and Others have hnt to
concede 10 them their person II rig ht to
act in suoh nanner as they vii. Men
are the masters OF their hands AMI their
lIDor; the liberty is theirs to work or
not to work, provided they understand
the consequences that follow, and resolve
to accept and endure such consequences.
But while the right to enter upon
strike is and must be conceded az right
belo aging to the personal freedom of the
workingmen, this must be ever demand
ed-and il the name OF the same princl-
pie of freedom under which the men re-
fuse to work-that their desire to cease
to work must in no way interfere with
thu liberty of others who may wish to
work. TIE Constitution and the laws
authorize it; the spirit OF the country
proclaims it; the prosperity of the pes
pie, the very life OF the nation, require
it. Neither state nor fellow-citizen may
interfere with my personal liberty. This
is the very core ef Americanism. This
is the t. ttaching OF National and Christian
ethics.
This Is a clear, forcible and
comprehensive statement of the
rights of workingtnen in the
premises. Were it recognized
and obserbed by the labor unions
strikes would never be character
lied by any sort of violence.
There would be no reason to fear
destruction of property, loss Of
life and acts of 1awlessness.
Strikes would be of less frequent
occurrence and strikers would Of.
tener obtain stheir objects. Yet
in spite of such teachings as
Archbishop Ireland's, in face o:
the law as clearly expounded by
our courts, regardless of the fac
that they have been punished BY
fine and imprisonment for I'M
lawful interference with the
Fights Of other workmen desiring
to continue at work, the first &C
Of striking unionists is to force
non.unien men to quit work ane
join the union. People who hav'
neves,witnessed large strikes cal
but lily comprehend the indig
mites heaped upon the man wht
refuses to join the strikers. Go
ing to and returning from hi
work he is beset at every step b,
the strikers. He is forcib1y de-
tanned, argued with, threatened
and berated. AS the condition
become more intensified he is as
sailed, and often badly injured
1t is a common thing for tn,
women of the strikers to jeil
their husbands and brothers il
these assaults On the ''scabs, ,
and they are generally experts il
the Use of vile epithets, stall
eggs, decayed fruit and brick
bats. Of course, this soon lead
to riot, which often requires tn
stern action of the military t,
suppress. The mass of Aneri
can mechanics and work1nen d,
not engage in riot and riotou
conduct. Read the names of tn,
killed and wounded after a fgh
with the police and soldiers ant
you will rarely find one that ha
bsen Americanized.
1t is to be deplored that labo
unions which have been power
full instrumentalities in COMPEL
ing recognition of the rights o
labor, and in bettering the condi
tion of the working man, shoule
ever pursue Course which mus
inevitably end in riot and blood
shed. Denouncing trusts formed
by capital, labor has formed ;
trust more exacting, more i1nper
ious, more domineering, NOR,
cruel in its methods than an,
ever attempted by capital. La
Dor unions are rapidly becoming
the laboring 1nar1's greatest enc
my. Even now scores of th
most skilled and intelligen
American mechanics either refus
to become members of them, o
firmly decline to follow them il
any unlawful practice. They Sc
that too often the unions deserv
to be, and are justly denounce
as foes to the working man
best interests, un-American i
their purposes and utterly de
structive of his rights as fre
man