The independent., 1903-02-05
THE RIGHT TO WORK


cheered and clapped their hands until
they were tired. The burden of Baers
speech was an attack upon the author
tiles for not enforcing the laws. He
declared that today we have the
spectacle of citizens born right in this
country not being protected in their
right to work, the very smallest CT the
natural rights for the protection of
which the government was founded.
The hypocrisy of this speech is be-
yond anything heretofore attained in
that line. The falsehood of the posi-
ton is equally astounding. At Baer's
request the whole military force of
the state was called out. Every man
among the workingmen proven guilty
of any crime was most severely pun
ished, by the courts. Baer brought the
whole force of the state government,
including the courts as we'll as the
military, to aid him. What more
could he demand?
But suppesing that all the laws as
we'll as the law providing the right
to work." had been enforced. In this
connection let us quote the words Of
Richard Olney, regarded by all men
as a lawyer of the most distinguished
ability. Mr.. Olney, in speaking Of
Baer and his methods, said:
who are they who are so in
sistent on suppression of lawless-
ness in the mining regions?
why, the most unblushing and
persistent of lawbreakers.
For years they have defied the
law of Pennsylvania, which for
bids carriers engaging in the busi-
mes Of mining.
For years they have discrim-
mated between customers in the
freight charges on their railroads,
in violation of the interstate COM
merce law.
For years they have unlawfully
cPcit"So
in violation of the Sherman anti
trust law.
Indeed, the very best excuse
and explanation of their attitude
is that, having violated so many
laws for SO long and so many
times, they may rightfully think
they are wholly immune from
either punishment or reprOach.'
Think of the height of impudence
that Baer reached when he upbraided
the government for not enforcing the
laws while he himself was one of the
most fragrant violators of law in the
whole land.
But few days ago, George F. Ed
munds, another of the most diStin-
guished lawyers in the whole United
States, in an article which he pub
lished over his own signature, declared
that the Sherman antitrust law, if
enforced would dissolve every trust
in the whole country. He declared
that it covered the whole. subject and
was sufficient of itself to stop the ag
gressions and piracies of all these
trust robbers Remembering that, re-
fleet upon the dubious and uncOnstitu-
tional way that the president adopted
to prevent death and destruction all
over the land resulting from the acts
of this worst laWbreaker of them all,
the sanity Baer. Clothed with all
the authority that eighty million of
people could confer upon him and by
the use of which he could have
brought this lawbreaker to terms at
any time, the president refused to use
that authority and went outside of the
constitution and the law to APPOINT an
arbitration commission that is still
sitting Why did not the president en-
force the law? He well knew that if
he brought one case, that the whole
row of trusts would go crumbling
down.
Baer had to be checked but in do
ing it a way had to be devised that
would NOT end9nper the other trusts