The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-12-08

to learn. Any movement based ON
that class hatred which at times az
sumes the name of class con-
seriousness is certain ultimately to
fail, and If 1t temporarily succeeds
to do far reaching damage.
But the extreme reactionaries,
the persons who blind themselves
to the wrongs now and then COM
mitted by the courts on labOring
men, should also think seriously as
to what such movement as this
portends. The judges who have
shown themselves able and willing
effectively to check the dishonest
activity of the very rich man who
works iniquity by the mismanage-
ment of corporations, who have
shown themselves alert to do JUS
tice to the wageworker, and SYM
pathetic with the needs Of the mass
Of our people, so that the dweller in
the tenement houses, the man who
practices dangerous trade, the
man who is crushed by excessive
hours of labor, feel that their needs
are understood by the courts
these judges are the real bulwark
of the courts; these judges, the
Judges of the stamp of the presi-
dent-elect, who have been fearless
in opposing labor when it has gone
wrong, but fearless also in holding
to strict account corporations that
work iniquity, and far sighted in
seeing that the workingman gets
his rights, are the men of all others
to whom we owe 1t that the appeal
for such violent and mistaken leg
islation has fallen on deaf ears,
that the agitation for it's passage
proved to be without substantial
bases.
"The courts are jeoparded pri-
marily by the action of these fed
eral and state judges who show in
ability or unwillingness to put a
stop to the wrOngdoing or very rich
men under modern industrial con-
ditiOns. and inability or unwilling
ness to give relief to men of small
means or wage workers who are
crushed down by these modern in
dustrial conditions: who, in other
words, fail to understand and apply
the needed remedies for the new
wrongs produced by the new and
highly complex social and indus
trial civilization which has grown
up in the last half century.
There are certain decisions by
various courts which have been ex-
ceedingly detrimental to .the rights
of wage workers. This is true of all
the decisions that decide that. men
and women are, by the constitution.
guaranteed their liberty to con-
tract to enter dangerous occupa-
ton. or to work an undesirable or
improper number of hours. or to
work in unhealthy surroundings;
and therefore cannot recover dam
ages when MANNED in that occupa-
ton, and cannot be forbidden to
work what the legislature decides
is a neXcessive number of hours, or
to carry on the work under condi-
tons whihc the legislature decides
to be unhealthy. The most danger
GUS occupations are often the poor
est paid and those where the hours
of work are longest; and in many
cases those who go into them are
driven by necessity so great that
they have practically no alterna-
tive. Decisions such as those al
luded to above nullify the legisla-
tive effort to protect the wage
workers who most need protection
from those employers who take adj
vantage of their grinding need.
They halt or hamper the movement
for securing better and more equit-
able conditions of labor The talk
about preserving to the misery
hunted beings who make contracts
for such servicestheir liberty to
make them, Is either to speak in a
spirit of heartless irony or else to
show an utter lack of knowledge
of the conditions of life among the
great masses of our fellow country
men. lack which units judge to
do. good service just as it would I'M
fit any executive or legislative
officer.
Abuse of lnjunctions.
There Is also, think, ground
for the belief that substantial in.
justice is often suffered by en-
ployes in consequence of the Gus
tom of courts issuing temporary in
functions without notice to them
and furnishing them for contempt of
court in instances where, as a mat
ter of fact. they have no knowledge
Of any proceedings. Outside of Or
ganized labor there Is widespread
feeling that this system often
works great injustice to wage work
ers when their efforts to better
their working condition result in in
dustrial disputes. A temporary in
junction procured ex parte may as
matter of fact have all the effect
of permanent injunction in caus-
ing disaster to the wage workers
side in such dispute. Organized
labor is chatting under the unjust
restraint which comes from re-
peated resort to this plan of pro-
cedure. Its discomfort has been UNI
wisely expressed. and often i'm
properly expressed, but there Is a
sound basis for it. and the orderly
and law abiding people of a com
munity would be In a far stronger
position for unfolding the courts II
the undoubtedly existing abuses
could be provided against
"DrovtSinp should no mazda thaV