The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-09
LABOR UNION ExCEssEs.

days been witnessed in Colorado are Q
disgrace to our civilization and men
ace to good order and good govern
ment. They are the natural result OF
unionism run mad. and unionism Il
likely to run mad wherever 1t is strong
enough. 1t makes little difference who
was first in the wrong. II Is useless
to argue about the right of laborins
men to organize themselves into labor
unions. No moral or legal right OF
organization can excuse or paliiate the
wild disorder and lawlessness tina,
have been occurring in the mining re-
gions of Colorado.
We will be assured that the great
masses of organized workingmen de-
piore and repudiate the excuses OF
which we have had such accounts
within the last few days. We will be
told that majority of the union men
do not sympathize with violence. in
limitation and manslaughter. All this
may be true, and we may admit that
they have not anticipated such disor-
derby conduct. but all Intelligent work.
ingmen. as well as every enlightened
leader, must depiore such an appaIl-
ing outrage as q blow struck at the
best interests Of organized labor. This
government is founded upon the in
alicnabie natural individual right of
every man 10 seek life labors and the
pursuit of happiness. The workmen
must be free to Join any union for the
legitimate advancement of his inter-
ests. He must be equally free to re-
frain from Joining any organization
and to dispose of his labor on any
terms he pleases. The tyranny of the
military despot who denies him the
right to join a union is no worse than
denies him the right to stay out of the
union and assaults or murders him If
he dares to exercise that right.
The scenes which have been wit
messed in 'the Cripple Creek neighbor-
hood rival the worst excuses of the
French Revolution in the days of Ma
rat. Robespierre and their lawless fol-
lowers Not content with using vio-
lence to intimidate ron-union men and
to prevent them from exercising the
freeman's right to labor, there has been
resort to wholesale murder and assas-
sination. The dispatches printed in
these columns give only the general
account Of what occurs. The details
can easily be imagined. 1t is not
merely that the union men use force
to prevent non-union men from work
ing, though that would be bad enough.
They have descended to the worst fea-
taken and the inhabitants put to death
Blowing up a platform with an infer
nal machine deliberately arranged and
set of for the purpose of killing nom
union men, without regard to others
who may be killed or injured-this is
the work of savages. Shooting into
crowds and killing people indiscrimi-
nately is cowardly and brutal way of
enforcing unionism. Is there no limit
to this violence? The New York Her
aid says:
Abraham Lincoln declared that this
nation could not exist half slave and
half free; We may paraphrase this by
slave and half free. If union men are
to remain free to organize and to agi-
tate and to quit work IL their demands
are not complied with then other
our of organizations and to sell their
labor where and when and on what
terms are acceptable to themselves,
Unless this right is maintained, and at
any cost our institutions are doomed
and free popular government must be
pronounced a failure.
Again we ask, how Is all this to end?
The Advertiser has never made war on
the principle of labor organization. We
have always admitted that the work
ing men have right to organize for
their own good and to help each other,
but there is a limit to such rights.
More than once in discussing this mat
ter we have warned union men that
there is a limit to the patience and
forbearance of individuals and oficials.
More than once that limit has been
reached and passed but the law has
been slow to interfere because the Of
ficers of the law hesitate to antago-
nize what some might regard as the
rights of laboring men.
This cannot go on forever. Forbear-
ance seems to encourage the lawless
members of the unions, and they heap
excess on excess because they think the
law is afraid of them. They are ap-
parently beginning to think that their
their political influence and
their voting strength render them i'm
mune. Tho end is bound to come II
things continue to grow worse and
that end will be disastrous to labor or
CARNATIONS. II the weII-meaning
members cannot or will not restrain
the vicious they need not complain il
the strong arm of the law suppresses
all alike.
The information is made public that
Governor w d IeILa Of AIako... a.