The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-02-25
HOT TOMAIE
FOR WRIGHT
Scathing Arrangement of Unjust
Decision by Pastor of a San
Diego, Cal. Church.

Diego, Cal. Church.
The pulpit all over, the country
unites with the free press and
every other unsubdination of the
sentence against Gompers, Mitchell
and Morrison by judge Wright.
Rev. DR.. Gulf paster Of the First
Methodist church of San Diego,
Cal, delivered from the pulpit a
scathing arrangement Of the decision.
The following is a synopsis:
''The laborer is free to work or
not to work; the employer is free
to discharge or retain his employee
for any cause whatever. The
public is free to buy of any mer-
chant or to pass him by. Organ
lied labor asks only that work
man may have the right to do
collectively what all men are free
to do individually, and that in
order to meet combined capitol on
equal terms.
Ono employer has any property
right in the labor of any employer
else we would have slavery. No
merchant has a property right in
the trade Of other men, for they
may Withhold it if they choose If
one man has right to decline to
trade with another, an organization
Of men has the same right. It's
members may persuade ca Oh other
not to trade with common enemy.
If they can be enjoincd against this
1T is only a step to an injunction
forcing men to trade with others or
to work for others rnd personal
liberty is gone.
"Samuel Gompers, editing the
chief organ Of the Federation of
Labor, printed a list of firms re-
fusing to contract with labor
unions and called unfair These
corporations are artificial creatures
without souls, lStOmaches or little
children, but the other parties to
the controversy are painfully alive.
The corporation secures an in
junction against the editor and his
staff under Iplea of violence to
property Note its injustice. The
corporation may discharge and
blacklist the employee, but the
workmen must not blacklist the
corporations under penalty OF
being 'haled into prison for VIC
lence to property by interference
with trade.
"What will be the effect! If the
superior courts or the president are
such wretched statesman as to let
this decision stand, it will be the
most rey oluntionary event of this
decade. In that case I dare proph.
esy that when the industrial his
tory of the country is finally
written. the names of Gompers,
Mitchell and Morrison will be sa-
luted as we now salute the names
of Hampdcn and Ppm. The cause
of these men is that OF every
man who loves freedom.
Il do not believe the country
will stand for 1T. Every citizen
should feel his responsibility to
protest vigorously and without re
ference to party or sect demaud
the enactment Of such an interpre.
tation of our laws as shall guar
antee the rights of trade unions
and OF the press of America. We
must not allow Judges to commit
men to prison without jury t1ial:
! we must not permit a law -defying.
Notwithstanding corporation to
go free from penalty and run the
government of this country while
honest worEmen are imprisoned.
Stlgmatized and there cause ruined
because they fight for the rights of
labor with only weapons-weapo
legalized in monarchial Europe.
And for Judge Wright, it APP
pears that he viii shine in future
history in that galaxy of our tirma-
ment heretofore tenanted only by
that other famous CD federal
Jurist, Roger b. fancy His is a
lustre that will remind the stu
dents of John Randolphs'S lannon's
mackerel in the moonlight