The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-31
THE NINE WORKERS RESOLUTIONS.

The coal mine workers, who have just
closed an interesting and for the most part
very orderly convention here, appointed
special committees to report resolutions on
the Chinese exclusion act and on what is
called government by injunction" OF
course, there could not be any doubt as to
the attitude of the mine workers on these
questions The resolutions were dignified
and in good form. Opposition TO Chinese
immigration was based not merely or the
fact that it is a menace to American
labor and tended to its degradation, but on
the higher ground that experience has
shown that it is injudicious. unwise and
threatening to our republican form of gov
eminent TO admit to this country a certain
vicious and evil class of all peoples and
races" For these and other reasons, very
clearly stated, the resolutions asked all
members of Congress representing miners
to vote for the re-enactment of the Chinese
exclusion law, with such amendment
thereto as will positively forbid and pro-
hibit any and all Chinese from landing in
the United States or in any of its Terri
tories where such Chinese may come in
competition directly or indirectly with
American labor" Congress will undoubt
edlF legislate on this line, but it may not
go far as this resolution asks. There
are treaty obligations which may prevent
the re-enactment of the exclusion law I'M
iii a later period, and some of the most in
telligent Americans who have visited the
Philippines think that Chinese labor is alb
solutely necessary to the development of
the islands. If permitted, however. it
should be prevented from coming to the
United States.
The resolutions against government by
injunction were temperate and not unrea-
sonabe. Promising that their sole object
was to conserve the rights of wage work
ers. they declare as follows:
Resolved. That we demand the enact
ment of such law as may be necessary to
prevent the judiciary from filming or i'm
prisoning any man for violation of injunc-
lions, except upon a verdict of guilty hav-
ing been rendered by jury of twelve men;
and be it further
Resolved. That such laws shall provide
that no man shall be convicted of contempt
for the violation of any injunction where
of the court. he had legal right to per-
form the acts for which he is held in con-
tempt.
This is a respectful demand that the ex-
listing law and practice regarding injunc-
lions shall be changed by statutory en-
actment. a demand that the law be
changed is better than a demand that it
be ignored or overridden. The general law
of injunction as a remedy for the protec-
ton of property or property rights is old
and well settled, and the law is as neees-
sary for the protection of the poor man
as il is for that of the rich man. There
is no probability that the writ of injunc-
ton as a legal process or remedy will ever
be abolished. but the practice under ii
might be modified by statute AS the law
stands there can be no question as to the
power Of a court to enforce its orders by
summary punishment of persons disobey-
ing them. even to the extent of sending
man to Jail without trial by jury. The ar
rest and punishment of citizens without
trial by jury for offenses for which the
laws provide that right of trial is another
question, and a very important one. In
the case OF Eugene V. Debs the Supreme
Court of the United States denied his ap-
peal against the decision of a lower court
convicting him of contempt without a trial
by jury, thus practically affirming the &C
ton of the court Whether courts shall
assume the function of INJECTING summary
punishment without jury trial for acts
punishable by ordinary criminal proceed
ings is an important question and the pro-
priety of settling it by statutory enactment
is worth considering. This is all that the
miners resolutions ask.