The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-08-23

deputy SnerluS III otuei 10 pun uOWn
mob of organized labor. At Hibbing
queer name, but queerer doingS-
the governor of the state met the
strike leader, and told him that troops
would be sent at tile first sign of dis.
order.
Who can fail to rub his eyes as lie
reads? These revolutionary Mime
sotans are upsetting some Of our most
firmly established social and political
principles. They positively believe in
work! Ard will an effrontery which
we had fondly hoped that no good
Americans would ever again display,
they arraign the miners union for
breaking its contract. Yet the very
children in our schools know that it is
now well settled that only employers
are bound by contract. These au-
thorities in Minnesota-mayors and
sheriffs and the gogernor-must be an
ignorant set And that they are alb
solutely crazy, politically, any public
man, from Oyster Bay to San Fran
cisco, could tell them. Why, there
are as many as 10000 strikers. Most
of them have votes. That ought to
be decisive. And as for running a
labor leader out of town, did these
rash citizens of Minnesota once stop
to consider that the man might soon
be invited to a luncheon at the White
House? They did not know but that
he might be filed with statesmanlike
IDEAS, changes in the laws or the Con-
stitution, which would enable us all
to live without working. Yet this
embryo Gompers or Mitchell had to
leave amidst general jeers.
This is plainly all wrong. Some
thing must be the matter with Min
nesota. Any one accustomed to the
usual American practice cannot but
suspect that some strange foreign
whimsey has got possession of these
people, We turn to the census, and
we find that nearly One-third of the
population of Minnesota is foreign
born-505, 900 out of 100000, That
surely means something. 1t is certain
that no such vindication OF manhood,
and resentment of dictation and out
rage by labor unions, could occur in a
State where the native stock was
almost pure-in NTH Carolina, for
example with enlsvs 500 fereign-born
citizens. We have always feared that
the great influx of Scaudinavians into
Minnesota BODIED no good, and now we
see what it is leading to. If this
goes on, our proud American tradition
of knuckling down to organized labor,
though it constitutes less than per
cent of all labor, will soon be shat
tered. A further proof Of the fact
that Minnesota is wholly irregular,
and really out of touch with the true
American movement, is that she has,
though normally republican bv large
majority, twice elected Democratic
Governor. People foolish enough to
do that are capable of treating vio-
lent labor union with disreSpect.
Moreover, they have absurd notions
about the American tariff. They want
it reduced. Gov. Johnson has been so
wild as to say that tariff-revision is
the chief issue in all the Northwest.
Minnesota inflicted a crushing defeat
upon one Representative, Mr.. Nc
Cleary, who had the right idea about
the sacredness and perpetuity of the
Dingley tariff. This alone shows that
the State is cratic and un-American;
and prepares us to believe the worst
about her rude trampling on the right
of organized labor to intimidate and
kill at pleasure.
In any case, something ought to be
done. Minnesota's sister States can
not sit indifferently by and see her set
up such startling innovations. Poison
in the extremities affects the brain;
and we may depend upon it that this
bad example, far away though it be,
will unhappily influence communities
nearer the center, unless steps be
taken to counterfeit it. Why, if this
Minnesota doctrine spreads, rioting
and idleness may become unpopular
elsewhere Elf emphatic disapproval
is not somehow visited upon the in
habitants of Ely and Hibbing, Of
Bovey and Taconite, movement may
start from these towns to insist upon
workingmen being honest aud earning
their wages. Against such threat
ening calamity, some vigorous meas
ures ought plainly to be taken. There
are various recourses. A Commission
might be sent to darkest Minnesota.
At the very least Government agent
should be dispatched = prefer
ably Reynolds, AS last resort,
a Presidential letter might be written;
yet, grave as we feel the emergency to
be, we do not believe it has reached an
extremity calling for that desperate