The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1908-10-08
nThe Injunction Issue"

In the first issue of the American
Federationist, January, 1894, we find
the following under the caption,
Shades of Jeffries": That there ex-
lists either an open agreement or a
tacit understanding among number
of the judges of the Supreme Court 70
go to the full limit Of their powers to
prevent woEkingmen from exercising
their rights of protesting against un-
lust exactions, there can be little
question. If we judge cor
rectly the temper of our fellow work
ers and the liberty loving citizens of
our country, not only will there be a
change soon, but such a change as
will hold the names of such judges as
Jenkins, Taft and Billings up to the
contumely and scorn of their fellow
men,"
The Machinists' Monthly Journal of
November, 1894, speaking of the re-
cent decision of Judge Harlan, revers-
ing a decision of Judge Jenkins in the
case of an injunction restraining en-
ployees of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road from striking, says: "The de-
cision set aside the contemplate
work of such corporation tools as
jenkins, Taft, Ricks, Dundee and
Judges of their stripe"
Has the work of the corporation
tools become less contemplate by
the lapse of time? We think not. The
American people are proverbially
short memoried, but 1t is possible
that these labor crushers have counted
too strongly upon our lack of memory
in putting Taft forward. 1t was put
ting Whitelaw Reid, the great labor
crusher, on the ticket with Harrison
that caused.labor to bury the ticket
in 1892.
The present dominant party boldly
adopts a platform which promises to
legalize usurpations of the courts and
presents as its candidate the man who
is notorious as the originator OF the
use of the injunction as means OF as
sisting employers in defeating the
workers when engaged In strike.
That a jury trial of such cases,
which is promised in the Democratic
platform, would give the wageworker
his just rights we know from the out
come of the contemplate proceedings
in the trial of the three officials OF the
Western Federation of Miners. Work
ers, refresh your memory on this one
case, and you will see a president,
condescending from an exalted ONCE,
to call these three men undesirable
citizens" This, too, before they had
a trial.
Shades of Washington, Jefferson
and Lincoln, where are we at? Issue
an Injunction? Government by injunc-
tion2 Will the wage workers of this
country again be called upon to meet
another king John upon the plains OF
Runnymede, as our ancestors dld IN
England centuries ago?
The evil is in the injunction itself,
and nothing short of the abolition OF
its use in labor disputes will secure
justice to wage workers. 1t is issued
under the pretext that somebody,
sometime, somewhere, intends com,
miting a crime" II worker violates
a law he is liable to prosecution and
no injunction is required, and II he
violates no law the court has no busi-
ness to interfere with him. Frederick
N. Judson, in the Review OF Reviews,
for August, 1907, has an article at
tempting to show that Tafts decision
was not unfair to labor, hut careful
examination OILY confirms the CON
clusion already arrived at.
One Phelan. an official OF the Amer
ican Railway Union, was sent TO Jail
for six months during the Pullman
Palace Car Company strike in 1894. A
sympathetic strike was called. This
oficial was arrested and Taft sent
him 70 Jail for six months. And yet
Taft said in Cooper Union speech,
THAT 1t has been frequently decided
that no Injunction can be Issued
which will compel man to perform
hts contract OF employment
How does he reconcile this with his
declsIon is years, aeof And yet MT.
Turner told some OF our citizens Wed,