The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-20
IS THIS A FREE COUNTRY7
Striking Workmen Are Creating Slave
Conditions for Themselves.
Brooklyn Eagle.

Brooklyn Eagle.
a free country Is one in which a man NAV
go about his legitimate business without LET
or hindrance and without fear II is
country wherein the rights and privileges
which belong to him by law can be enjoyed
without the fear Of violence. Among those
rights is the right to earn his wages at any
honest occupation in which he chooses to
engage and at which he can get employ
ment If he be estopped from such oppor-
tunity legally he becomes a slave of the
state. If he be estopped from il by the
violence or threats of his fellows he be-
comes the slave of his felIow-workmen
There are tens of thousands of such slaves
in this country at this moment BY a
curious irony their masters are the very
men who are loud in their clamor for the
rights of manhood. In Chicago. in Provt-
dence, in indianapolis and in the anthra-
cite coal regions of Pennsylvania there are
tens of thousands of men who want to work
and earn wages which employers are
anxious to pay to them, but they are
afraid to go TO work for fear of violence to
themselves and insult and contumelv to
their wives and little ones. The gravity.
the deep peril of such condition of things
is but family realized.
Again and again it has been pointed out
that any man or set Of men have the right
to quit work for any reason which seems
TO them good. They are under no obiga-
ton TO assign any reason whatever They
may quit because the wage is too small
because they are tired. because they want
to go a-fshing. But they have no right to
put the smallest obstacle in the way of
men who want to take their places. This
has been repeated over and over again
But it has not been said in such way that
workingmen of the country have come to
see il and to act upon ii. Least of all have
they been brought TO see that by the viola
ton of this elemental right they themselves
must in the long run be the losers 1t is
worse than idle, il is false to affirm that
there is no danger OF violence at the hands
of striking worNngmen and their friends
There is such danger. There is always such
danger They know it, the employers know
it. the sheriffs of the counties know it, the
would-be wOrkmen know il. Ii is the one
ever present, ugly peril. 1t is a peril which
the public has tolerated far too long.
PeoDle have borne with il because the
sympathy Of a large part of the communi-
~ is naturally with the strikers Ii is
always taken for granted that body of
men will throw up their jobs without some
good reason. Moreover. the feeling is al
most universal that in the distribution of
the pro6ts of industrial operations the
owners get more than their share and that
workmen get less than their rightful due.
We believe this to be true. We belive that
the workmen have the right to use every
legitimate means TO force from their en-
Movers higher wages and shorter hours
The public would be glad TO see them sue
coed. and is willing 10 bear inconvenience
while they stand out for their claims But
the public believes in the rights of the
other man also. This other man Is kept
ont of mis- right by fear of Violence The
fear Is well founded. There are now some
four or five thousand coal and iron police
under pay In the coal region OF Pennsyi-