The evening star and Newark advertiser., 1907-07-15
HOT TILT OVER
LABOR UNION
CASE
Lawyer Tells Vice-Chancel-
IOr That Court GOeSTOO Far
in Granting InjunctiOns.

JERCEY CITY, July 15.--yice-Chan-
ce1lor Bergen, sitting in Chancery
Chambers, Jersey City. today granted
a temporary injunction on rule to
show cause restraining the members of
Branch No. l, Local No, l52, Industrial
Workers of the World. of Paterson,
from interfering with the men who
have taken their places in the plant of
the Graef Hatband Manufacturing
Company of Paterson.
Before the injunction was granted
Vice Chancellor Bergen and Lawyer
McGinness. of Ward & McGinnis, rep
resenting the strikers, had a lively tilt,
in which Mr. McGinness said that the
Court of Chancery was going too far
with it's labor injunctions. the vice.
chancellor retorting that when body
attempted to interfere with men who
took their places they were acting in
spirit that was un-American.
When the rule TO show cause was granted
two weeks ago Vice-Chanceuor Bergen
handed down a restraining order with the
rule that prohibited the strikers from In
any way Interfering with the men who
took their places The restraining order
was about the most sweeping that ever
came out of the Court of Chancery and
evoked widespread comment. This. morn
ing on the return of the rule, Mr.. McGin-
mis- opened big batch of a1davits from
individual members of the organization and
after reading half of them the court and
Mr.. McGinnis got into their row At one
point Vice. Chancellor Bergen interrupted
and Mr. McGinnis flashed back:
THESE men have n right to strike
"They have" agreed Vice chancellor
Bergen. IF conditions at this plant don't
suit them, they have right to go away
Nobody denies them that right They have
the right to strike and 60 away. But they
don't do that"
"These men are merely picketing," said
MI McGinnis.
"Why?'
"They want to see what is going on at
the mill; whether any men are leaving and
what the general conditions are
you know" said the vice-Chancellor
that the reason for picketing is to force
men to quit work. and to compel the manu-
facturer to submit to their terms. When
compulslon of that sort is used, it must
be branded unAmerican."
"These men," said Mr.. McGinnis "have
n right TO contest for better living condi-
tions. and for more money or shorter
| hours"
"They have no right" rejoined the
court. ito raise a contest in which COM
pulsion of that kind figures
|
to Vice-Chancellor Bergen TT seems to
me-" he said. that the courts are going
too far when they tell men that they must
keep away from this mill and not try to
persuade men not TO take the bread and
butter from their mouths. 1t Is only lately
that the Court of Chancery has gone so
far. In 1900 there was decision in this
court in which 1t was said that he court
did not question the right of a man to
try to persuade another man that 1t was
detrimental to his interest to work at a
certain place.
Conditions are growing worse year by
year. Trusts and combinations Of capital
have arisen. and men have right to or
ganize and fight these evils"
| Vice-Chencellor Bergen smiled behind
his gavel. The complainant. through John
r. Harden. alleged that the strikers were
doing all in their power to cause men to
leave the plant. and that they had gone
SO far as to approach trades people who
We're supplying the house at which the
| strike brea kers were stopping