The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-08-12

strength. Every one recognizes the
| right OF labor to strike, yet that is
method that should be resorted to
| only when ali friendly means of OBJ
tanning It's just ends have failed. ]
When, unfortunately, labor is con-
| fronted with a condition impelling it
to wage Industrial warfare for the
| protection OF its rights, or to secure
fair treatment, it should keep within
the boundaries marked out by law.
| While it has q perfect right to resort
to all arts Of persuasion and to employ
every legitimate method to obtain it's
end, a resort TO personal violence, or
to the destruction Of property is new
er justifiable. And the very moment
this is done, labor finds itself in con-
! flct with an organization immeasura-
| bly, superior to organized capital-an
organization before which all else
must give way, and that is organized
society, an organization whose very
! life depends upon the upholding Of
|
| know that the sentiment of organ
| lied labor is in accord with these
views. | l.nOW, too, that in times OF
i graGL ST., -es. when the passions are
| and thinSs are at fever heat, sins are
ofttimes committed in the name OF
organized labor for which organized
labor is in no way responsible. AS in
time of actual warfare an army can
not be held responsible for the actions
of the plunderers who may gather in
it's wake so in the time Ct great
strike organized labor should not be
| held responsible for the deeds OF the
| lawless element, in no way connected
wi h it, that may come to the surface.
But in such times those conducting
the contest in behalf of labor owe 1t
to organized society to set their faces
sternly against all outbreaks of law
! lessness. This done, they may safely
trust to a discriminating public to
give credit where credit is due, and
not to visit upon their heads offenses
for which they are not responsible.
Weight of Public Opinion.
In this country the one great over
shadowing force is public opinion is
arrayed is already lost, AMI a cause
supported by public opinion is already
: won. It's DEGREES are final. In a
f contest between labor and capital it is
all important for lager that public
, opinion should be upon its side, for
| ;aL 4h1 fnr
: must be determined And whether
= public opinion is arrayed for or
r against labor will depend upon wheth-
er the demands Of labor are based
, upOn Justice and whether the contest
f is waged within the limits prescribed
r by law.
The representatives, too, of organ
t lied capital, the managers OF great
enterprises, should ever be solicitious
, to keep with in the law. AS in times
- of turmoil they are the first TO cry
, out for the laws protection, so they
should themselves scrupulously OBJ
serve the law.
, President Roosevelt, at Spokane,
made use Of these words:
And while all the people are fool
ish if they go outside of the law,
, wicked as well as foolish, yet the most
+ foolish man of this republic is the
man Of wealth who complains because
! the law is administered with impair
tial justice against or for him. And
his folly is greater than the folly OF
. any other man who protests againS.
the law, because the law does indeed
protect him and his property; and we
have the right to ask every decent
, American citizen to rally TO the sup
port of the law if it is broken against
the interest of the rich man, and we
have the same right to ask that rich
man to cheerfully and gladly ac-
quiesce in the enforcement Of the law
against his seeming interest if it is
the law.
And, gentlemen, | hope he will &C
quiesce, and if he does not ii does not
make any matter Whoever he may
be, great or small, whether his Of
Tense take the shape of a crime OF
greed or whether at the other end OF
the social scale it takes the shape OF
a crime of lawlessness and violence,
if it is a violation of the law, it is too
be hoped every honest man will rally
to the support of those who put it
down"
Our Existence to Law
Our great corporations are creatures
Of the law. They owe their being to
the law and can continue to exist only
by, through and under the protection
Of the law. 1t would certainly seem