Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-26
OUTSIDE POINT OF VIEW

me recent order of Judge Adams, of
the united States district court, grant
ing temporary injunction restraining
the tralnmenS and firenel's union from
doing certain acts, has been the cause
OF some confusion in the minds of
many. and has at least been the sub
Ject of one editorial In an Iowa daily
wherein 1t was stated that these men
were deprived of right to strike and
therefore by inference were the slaves
OF a big corporation. 1t Is well to know
exactly the words of the judge. This
labor organization was restrained from
IN any way or manner ordering, CO.
ercing, persuading, inducing or other
wise causing, directly or indirectly, the
employes of the Wabash Rail-
way Company To strike or quit
the service of said company, and from
In any way moesting or interfering
with its business as a common
carrier: or preventing said
company and its connecting lines from
complying with the requirements of
the interstate commerce act;
and from interfering with said COM
pany in the carrying of mails" Note
the words: They could strike If they
wished to, but the union must not in
any way or manner, etc. 1t is fine
point, but it served its end. And the
wonder is that it has net been used be-
fore. 1t opens up. If made part and
parcel of our legal administration, the
way for the laboring man to prevent
any association of our railway COM
panies from collective action. For in
stance, a combination of the railroads
agree that ON and after April they will
only pay the section men on all rail-
roads so much per day. Clearly an ac-
ton for temporary injunction Will
stand. The trunk railway can issue
such an order for their own employees.
but must not do SO in conjunction with
other railways. This rule will stand
good against the concerted action of all
corporations who unite to lower the
wages of employees. This much seems
logic from the layman standpoint.
Again, this kind of an injunction, If
made permanent. places weapon In
the hands OF each member of union,
which will certainly be used with eff
feet. 1t is matter of common knowl-
edge that strikes have been ordered
against the wishes of a majority of the
members of the order. Members of svch
orders, earning good Wages, are opposed
tc going into what is called a synpa-
thetic strike. To illustrate: The mill
ers of Boonesboro Iowa, once Went out
on sympathetic strike and were idle
for three months, this because they
were ordered to by the officials of their
order, but very much against the wish
es of the men, who had no grievance
against the mine owners of BooneSboro.
1t requires no great stretch of the inn
agination to expect that in the future
some miners wife will go before a judge
of the court and get out an order against
the local unions ordering strike. and
thus depriving her of needed hus-
bands wages for family support.
In fact. If this injunction is made
permanent to all inten.s and purposes
II kills labor organizations. A strike to
be successful must be concerted ac-
ton. Corporations can easily fill the
places of individual strikers. And
again. whether one believes in strikes
as beneficial or otherwise, certain 1t is
that 1t Is the only weapon the corpora
ton fears Rendered 81 legal impossi-
bility, made a criminal act. to prevent
the officials of any labor organization
from, ordering a strike. what will the
condition of the laboring men be in ten