The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-03-18
DEFENDS RIGHTS
OF FREE PRESS.
Justice Shepard Renders Dissenting Opinion,
IN Buck Stove and Range Company
Case-Gourts of Equity Cannot
Censors of Press.

these lines. And yet we ar,
assailed on all sides, because W,
stand for these principles that viii
compel the recognition of th,
| rights of labor in the pursuit o.
life, liberty and happiness.
Conclusion.
For your information | will saw
that during the past II months
since have been your President.
| have made two trips to Cincin,
natl; five trips to Tunnclton in the
Fairnont Field; two trips tC
Williamsport, Kentucky; -four
trips to indianapolis; one trip to
Columbus; one trip to Ashland
two trips to Huntington. and two
trips to the Pemeroy Bend.
l have attended six Conventions,
and held thirteen Sunday meetings
besides attending many meetings
and conferences in this valley,
looking to the adjustment of dis
putes; besides, we have had seven
meetings of our District Executive
Board this year.
L can only speak for myself and
officers of this District, and ! am
sure that the facts will bear out
the correctness of my assertions.
when | say that in no previous
years has there been a more active
campaign in accordance with the
number employed, than there has
been in the past year. When YOU
consider the poor work and sur
rounding conditions, with paid
up membership of over 1000, com
pared with previous years, you
cannot help saying that it has
required an earnest effort to ac
cOmplish what has been done.
The most important of all to me is
the fact that we have been able to
maintain the Organization through
this crisis, notwithstanding the
fact that falsifiers, character as
Sassins and misleading newspaper
articles which have been recently
directed to reflect upon your OF.
ticers, with no other purpose than
to destroy their prestige, and in
the long run the means of DESTROY
ing your organization, and let me
add that in the early struggle of
this organization, If you trace my
record as Il union, man, you will
lind that my name has always
been on the right side of the
ledger, and it will date back to the
early days when men were re-
required to make sacrifice TO
establish this organization.
1t has been only short time
since the system of adjusting
wages and conditions of, employ
ment by Joint Conference has been
established in this District. and L
pride myself on being one who
helped to organize and encourage
the miners to assert their rights as
American citizens, in order to
bring pressue on the operators to
meet them to formulate an agree
ment-
No one of us will want to go
back to the days prior to 1902,
when men were compelled to deal
in Company stores, when the sys-
tenn of free turn was in vogue.
when discriminating prevailed,
coal was properly weighed, We're
not granted; when the operators
were the sole dictator of wages and
conditions which you must work
under, and many other unfair and
urbearable conditions prevailed.
which you prayed to be relieved
of and which caused you to assert
your rights.
When we think of the con
ditions in the past, compared with
the present, and notice so many
who lost all interest in their own
self respect. who enjoy these con
ditions and will not contribute for
their maintenance, we sometimes
LCnntinnn1. nr, IDnora g.