Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-05-29
MOONS PHHsEs.
The Omaha Injunctions.

The Omaha Injunctions.
Government by injunction" would
appear to have about reached the Iihn-
IT in connection with the labor trou-
bles at Omaha, Feb A fortnight ago
Judge Munger of the United States
district court for Nebraska granted a
temporary injunction restraining the
striking union Transfers of Omaha
from interfering in any improper way
with nonunion teamsters. The order
specifically forbade picketing, menac-
ing by force of numbers congregated
20 intimldate, threatening directly or
by procurement, following nonunion
men to their homes to attack or fright
en- them and the further maintenance
Of an organization having for It's OBJ
Ject the restraint of interstate COM
merce by interfering with the move"
ment OF merchandise in transit through
Omaha.
BY way of retaliation the representa-
tives OF the union and of local labor
organizations generally later secured
from Judge Dickinson of the district
court OF Omaha, a state court, an In
junction against the Business Mems
association and others named as de-
PENDANTS. This injunction forbade
them to threaten to inJure the business
or persons OF any member of labor
union or any person who may desire to
employ such union member. 1t also
enJoined them from refusing to sell
goods to employers of such union la
Dor or from discriminating against
them In prices; also, to quote the press
report, IT enJoined them
From threatening or intimidating In any
manner any person into Joining the said
Business Mems association or any organ
izations TO join labor unions
From threatening or intimidating any
person who may have become q member
of said association or organization If he
employs organized labor or recognizes la
Dor unions into disseminating such en-
ployment.
From imposing any fines upon its mem
bers or any person for violating any
agreement not to employ organized labor
or not TO recognize labor union.
From receiving or paying out any money
whatever in pursuance of any agreement
neys In this action
From paying or Offering any money to
officers or members of unions directly or
Indirectly as bride to do or not TO do
any act In pursuance of any agreement
OF any of said defendants against such
unions.
From importing or engaging agents or
servants TO import any laborers into the
city OF Omaha or state of Nebraska In
pursuance of any existing plan to destroy
labor organizations or under any similar
or new arrangement or plan.
From bringing any other Injunction
suits or actions in pursuance of any gen.
teral plan of prosecutions to break up la
Dor unions of any new or similar plans
connected directly or indirectly with any
existing plans
The two instances illustrate how the
injunction order may be made to
work both ways" though both ap-
parently carry to undue length this
much abused method of legal proce-
dure. The wage earners of Omaha have
an unquestioned right to organize and
TO strike If they choose to do so. To
the extent of forbidding violence the
order of Judge Munger was a perfect
ly proper injunction. though such acts
could be punished under the common
or statutory law without resort to the
restraining process.
If, on the other hand, the bitterness
of the struggle now going on in Omaha
has led the employers and business
men TO resort to illegal methods to
coerce others into acting with them
the restraining order of Judge Dickin-
son was perfectly proper in so far as
1t was necessary. The employers have
no right to threaten or to boycott any
one who employs union labor. to Co
cree employers into joining them In re-
sisting union demands or TO do any
thing which has for its object the dis
ruption of labor unions which have
right to exist. II, however, they have
descended TO bribery of the officers or
members of the unions they have been
guilty of acts contrary to public pol
icy and destructive of business mo-
rality, which are punishable under the
common or statutory law. and thus
far at least an injunction was unneces-
sary.
At all events. the rival injunctions do
nothing to clarity the situation at
Omaha and might as well not have
been issued.
LOOK! L000K!