The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1903-09-02
WOULD. MAKE
LABOR UNIONS
OBEY THE He LAW
Citizens at Fort
Bragg Form a
League.
Novel Organization to
Prevent Disastrous
Strikes. E..
rr aT.-r wrsfv'
Trouble in the Lumber Mills
Of Mendocino Has In
teresting End, !.
Special Dispatch to The Cali.

e
FORT BRAGG Sept. ITO compel
labor unions TO obey the laws" is. one OF
the objects of an association formed in
this town by a. number. of Fort Bragg's
Representative. citizens. Fort Bragg is the
first. community -on the Pacific Slope in
which the citizens. as such, have COM
bined for mutual protection from the or
ganized forces i % which labor and eapi-
tai have. merged their respective re-
sources. In. the. conflicts between these
two. the unorgapized public. has suffered
most of the hardship and. Fort. Bragg,
like other trade centefss has had its
share Of these. industrial battles. There
is one waging. now between the lumber
interests and the men. engaged in hand
ling the product The. employers are
probably not making as much money as
under more settled conditions. and the
earnings of the men have been decreased
by.a substantial. percentage Tie .prin-
cipaI sufferers by the Fort Bragg strike;
however. have. been those only Indirectly
interested in the issues OF the conflict. ~
The property owners, business men and
professional men. have suffered in the
disturbance of conditions. just as vitality
as the prinoipals..in the fight and up to
the present. they have been compelled TO
stand by idly while the. contestants. with
out "a thought beyond their own selfish
ends. have battled in whatever mode
seemed most likely to. achieve the results
they sought, - :. /.
In their .unorganizedl condition the prin-
-cipal. sufferers were helpless, individual
protests passing away like so much light
air. Realizing that only force could cope
with force. the non-combatant citizens OF
Fort Bragg have formed themselves into
a secret organization known as "The
citizens. League of Fort Bragg, No. 4.
Incorporated"
Theidea for this league was obtained
from Indianapolis. where; in March of
this year.. was formed the independent
American Mechanics Union. Ineorpor-
ated This Indiana organization has be-
come national in it's scope and the Fort
Bragg. league has affiliated with II.
Branches of the. organization. have been
formed in many cities Of the. middle
West and although Fort Bragg is the
first in the far West; so much inquiry
has been received by. the local officers
from other points that there is little
doubt that all the larger cities of the
coast will before long support leagues.
The Fort Bragg league has availed it.
self of the incorporation laws in order
that it may have a legal existence and
be in a position to protect its members
as well as attack it's adversaries, its
legal identity giving it standing in
court that it would not have otherwise.
The objects OF the league are thus set
forth in the articles Of Incorporation on
file at Sacramento;
The purposes for which II is formed are to
encourage industry. economy, honesty and
tr1lthfulness among its members: TO maintain
amicable relations between employees and en-
ployers OF labor: to assist its individual mem
bers in obtaining the highest wages. shortest
hours and best conditions consistent with the
general good OF all concerned by an intelligent
application OF energies; 10 fromote all forms
OF productive industry and general trade and
increase the employment of labor at good
wages; to prevent all unjust and unreasonable
discrimination against any Of the members by
any person. combination or conspiracy TO pre-
vent such members from securing employment
in anv branch OF industry; to protect and 1e-
fend its members against any and all attempts
nv any person or combination OF persons 20
/ abridge the inalienable rights OF all mankind
/ 10 work for such wages as shall be mutually
/ satisfactory to the individual workman and his
/ en,pIoyer. to protect the independent wOr<men
l in their independence; to promote and encour-
age an earnest cooperation with employers
/ and legitimate business methods; to oppose
/ strikes lockouts. bOycOtts and blacklists. and
to compel labor unions to obey the laws.
! The directors of the Fort Bragg league
are appointed for one year. Those that
will act for the first year are: John E.
Weller. Edward Banker. F. c. Jackson,
w. A Mccormack. II. f. Milliken, II.
Holmes, Ira n. Carlisle. Frank Sandelin,
Thomas Bourns. all Of Fort Bragg, Men
docinO County.
The league has already more than
three hundred members and Of these not
a few were recruited from the ranks OF
the unions. The organization is popular
with the citizens who have suffered from
the strike and is gaining Ia strength
every day.