Norwich bulletin., 1919-11-10

''The government then proceeded to | further invade the rights of the min l CTS, not only by restraining the min l CTS, their officers and members from ! furthering the purposes for which the l men contended but went to further | lengths of demanding from the Ncourt an order commanding the officeA, of the miners union to recall and With draw. the strike notification. and the court complacently complied and is- sued the order.
 Never in the history of our coun- try has any such mandatory order been obtained or evep applied for by tho government or by any person, company or corporation.
 Both the restraining order and the injunction, insofar as it's prohibitory features are concerned, are predicated upon the Lever act. law enacted by congress for the purpose of prevent
 ing speculation and prof1teering of the food and fuel supplies of the country. There never was in the minds of the congress in cnacting that law or in the mind of the president when he signed it, that the Lever act would be applied to workers in cases Of strikes and lockoutS. The food controller, MT. Hoover, specifically so stated. Mem ] bers of the committee having the bill i in charge have in writing declared that
 it was not in the minds of the com
 mittee, and the then attorney general,
 MT. Gregory. gave assurance that the | government would not apply that law
 to the workers effort to obtain i'm | proved working conditions. Every as ] surance from the highest authority of
 our government was given that the
 law should not be so applied.
 l ina ro1Ircf of procidapt WTilc0T's
 address to the Buffalo convention of the American Federation of Labor. 1 November, 191T among other things
 he said:
 While we are fighting for free
 dom, we must see among other things
 that labor is free, and that means d
 number of interesting things. It means
 not only that we must do what we
 have declared our purpose to do. see
 that the conditions of labor are not
 rendered more onerocs by the war
 but also that we shall see to it that the instrumentalities by which the
 conditions of labor are improved are
 not blocked or checked. That we
 must do.' ztt
 The autocratic action of our gov
 ernment in these proceedings is ot such a nature that it staggeEs the hu-
 man mind. In q free country to con-
 ceive of government applying fol and obtaining a restraining order pro , hibiting the officials of a labor, organ ization from contributing their owr money for the purpose of procuring 5 food for women and children tha might be starving. Is something tha ] when known will shock the sensibili
 ties of man and will cause resent
 ment. Surely the thousands of mel e who are lying in France. under tn soil whose blood was offered for tn ,, freedom of the world. ever dreame' 0 that so shortly afterwards in thei 8 own country, 450000 workers endeav U ing to better their working conditions would have the government decid n that they were not entitled to ahe as . sistance of their fellow men and tha = their wives and children should starv
 by order of the government.
 c "It is a well established principl . that the inherent purpose of the in . junction processes. where there is Il - other adequate remedy at law. was fo the purpose of protecting property an = property rights only thereby exercis
 ing the equity powers of the court to prevent immediate and irreparabl ,1 injury. II Tt was never intended and there
 no warrant of the law in all or
 country to use the injunction powt 4. of equity courts to curtail persons le rights or regulate personal relation S It was never intended to take u SI place of government by law by sul ! stituting personal and discretional
 government.
 sI "The Lever Act provides it's oU " penalties for violators of it's provi
 ions. The injunction issned in til 4o case has for its purpose not tri .e by court ond jury. but an order ,o, the court predicated upon the a -e sumption that the law might be vi !. 1 lated and by which the defendan e may be brought before the court 5o contempt and without any trial be jury.
 c We declare that the proceedings ie this case are unwarranted, as tn -, are unparalleled in the history of 0 V, country and we declare that 1t is ad injustice. which not only the workt ,,e but all liberty-loving Americans W 'in repudiate and demand redress. T 8p citizenship of our country cannot { , ford to permit the establishment maintenance of principle whi rs strikes at the very foundation of jr n tice and freedom. To restore the co i,b fidence in the institutions of our cou to try and the respect due the cour ,st this injunction should be withdra' an and the records cleansed from so oI e,, rageous a proceeding.
 he By all the facts in the case to miners strike is justified. We O worse if. We are convinced of I,a justice of the miners cause. % ,%ae pledge to - miners the full supp I- of the Americah Federation of Lal to and appeal to the workers and | air citizenship of our country to give l re endorsement and aid to the men ( ne gagged in this momentous struggle"