The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-01-01

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either by threats oTviolencs all appli-
cants for their late Positions, they would
be soon hustlsd offlte Jail and all law
abiding citizens would approve. If
the conditions don't suit and you quit
your position 1t belongs to any other
man who can secuTe it. This is law
and liberty. Any pan or body of men
whether 10, 1000 Er 10000 strong
who will threaten, assault and even
Kill to prevent others from working
should be suppresseA and severely pun
ished if it took every soldier in the
country to do it.
One of the fundamental laws of our
country is the in4fienable right of
every man to worE whenever, wher-
ever and at whatey@ he pIeases. When
organized labor deaies that law and
by force of arms desies the government
to maintain that Inv, then it becomes
an enemy to goverDnsnt and menace
to liberty. That its Enormous crimes in
this direction have been condoned is a
travesty on the Law Of equity and a
1 blot upon civilized Eovernment
Organized labor Should first Of all
secure legal existence. This, one of
the most importafjt advantages in Or
ganization, has bean sadly neglected.
The unions demand that capital shall
recognize them as body and from
time to time certkin terms shall be
agreed upon; whiEh agreement both
parties are pledgedsso keep. But who
can blame capitaI7ff it is suspicious
and afraid OF such an unfair PROPOSE
ton? Unfair beeau use if labor chooses
to break the AGREEMENT SO made (as
has happened mole than once in the
pasD capital has o redress. Organ
lied labor, FORTH reason and score
OF others, sholiiG 1irst OF ali become
incorporated.
At present labor deneunces most
emphatically the secrecy with which
trusts are wont to clothe their affairs.
In a great number of cases labor uses
the same methods. In reading over
the constitution ard y-laws of several
unions one is struck by the same vein
of excessive caution and secrecy run
ming through all. Of those who re-
member the organization of the
Knights of Labor, many will recall the
furor it caused. For eight years after
they organized the citizens of Phila-
delphia viewed with suspicion and
alarm the gathering of hundreds of
men of whose Intentions or purpose
( for so gathering they knew nothing
Whsn after few years three or four
thousand men were wont to congre-
gate at certain spot in response to
the tolling CT a bell the public began
to ask an investigation by the author
tiles. Becoming alarmed at the amount
of excitement they were causing, they
finally announced themselves as the
Knights of Labor.
To 5e entirely successful labor or
ganizations must be more conservative
Strikes should only be resorted to when
every other means have failed. And
after having struck, they must respect
the rights of property. Suppose a
company of men buy and receive from
the proper ausaorities permission to
operate factory,a a mill or a mine, or
even twenty mines or mills. The gov
ernment to which they are paying taxes
must protect sach property and main
tain their right to operate the same
Suppose that, in affording such pro-
lection to property and in maintaining
the right to operate said property, the
] government must call on the militia
and perhaps kill scores of men. Is this
right? BY all means, yes. f the law
says that property is entitled to such
protection and that such rights must
be maintained-if that is the law then
he who defies that law must pay the
penalty. The great majority of Amer
lean people il. congress assembled
made that law and the minority must
abide. If we deny this then all re-
publican govei eiament is but a farce.
In principle the labor organizations
of today are extremely socialistic and
some of t1eir methods verge on an
archy. A strike occurred very recently
in Syracuse, N. Y. The organized en-
| ployees of the street railway immedi-