Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1918-01-04
WHAT OF THE COMING
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN?
ARE WE RULED BY JUDGES IN
A GOVERNMENT OF SELF
GOVERNING CITIZENS?
(By Charles Perry Taylor)

(By Charles Perry Taylor)
The supreme court of the state
and the supreme court of the nation
have within the past few weeks rem
d red decisions that vitality affect the
power, influence and usefulness of
the union movement. Notwithstand-
ing the declarations of the Clayton
amendment to the Sherman anti
trust law, Notwithstanding the con-
stitutional guarantees of the free
dom of speech and press, notwith-
standing the legal declaration that
labor is not commodity, these de-
cisions will thrust labor back into the
chattel class If they stand as the fina.
decision in such matters. Courts
render so many decisions on preced-
ent rather than on actual law, and
rely SO much on what is called COM
mon law, and so many times, seem
ingly, place so little reliance, in the
judgment of many, on commonsense.
that thoughtful people may well Sc
riOusly consider whether we are not
ruled by judges, who, by their as
sumption of power, assumption not
always upheld by actual law, coLsti-
tute these judges a well nigh kingly
class in republic of self-goverring
citizens. When both divine and
human law says citizens may exer-
else the right to tell the truth, nay,
must tell the truth and the truth only
under penalty of punishment, then
for a court of either high or low
degree to deny that right is a trav-
esty on free government.
Decisions defining tho rights OF
both organized labor ard employers
were rendered December 10 by the
United States supreme court. The
court held that workmen may organ
ize for lawful purposes. but that en-
ployers may legally operate their
plants as open shops and prevent
efforts to bring non-unionists into the
unions. The opinions were rendered
in the cases of the Hitchman Goa! 4
Coke company and the Eagle Glass
Manufacturing company of West
Virginia. the court deciding that
both were entitled to rperate their
plants as "open shops" Lower
court DEGREES holding the United
Mine Workers of America and the
American Flint Glass Workers union
were illegal organizations, and under
the Sherman antitrust law they
were secret conspiracies in restraint
of trade, were ignored by the SUI
preme court opinion. Justices Bran
deis, Holmes and Clark dissented
the first making the statement he be-
lieved the unions had the right to dc
the things to which the members oil
the court objected.
The state supreme court of Wash
ington, in 4 recent decision, atol
ished the right of picketing in The
state and, to all intents and pur
poses, the union movement has lcst
the right to obey that command
ment from the Creator which for
bids lying. Thou shalt not lic.'
says the Creator. Thou shalt no
tell the truth If it hurts my bust
ness" says American business, ant
business is supported by cour
decisions. This is not to be won
dered at. considering that judges are
made out Of lawyers. and lawyers ar,
made out of business or corporation
legal work.
The frequency of the abuse of the
power of injunction in industrial dis
putes is byword among members Of
organized labor. How frequently dc
employers rush into court and. IN
fear of imaginary dangers, pray for
injunctions against fellow citizens
engaged in a God-given RICH. to
cease work when conditions become
undesirable, and engaged also IN
compliance with both divine con
mand and influence of righteous civil
law in telling the truth about the in.
dustrial conditions that brought on
the strike. the employers depending
on hysteria and the sympathetic ears
of corporation-trained judiciary to
secure for them an injunction against
| fellow citizens engaged in an effor,
to improve the condition of wage
earners. Why is it that an employer
can get the aid of courts to resis
the efforts of wage earners to i'm
prove the conditions of industry
while at the same time the wage
earners can get no help from court:
to bring about such improvement
Are the courts for the employers
only, or are the wage-earners negli
gent in invoking their power?
The year 1918 will be one in which
legislatures and courts will be par
TALLY or wholly elected by the vote'
of sovereign citizens who own NJ
y. II