The Washington times., 1919-11-10
A. F. Of L. Chiefs Statement
Pledging Aid to Miners

SlIlhcS ALSO TestrdlnlTS Iuchu -
discussing, writing or entering
into>any kind of a conversation
with their membership on the
strike situation.
Rights of Miners Invaded.
The Government then proceeded
further to invade the rights Of the
miners. not only by restraining
the miners, their officers and
members from furthering the pur-
poses for which the men contended,
but went to further lengths OF
demanding from the court an or
der commanding the officers OF
the miners union to recall and
withdraw the strike notification,
and the court complacently COM
piled and issued the order.
Never in the history of our
country has any such mandatory
order been obtained or even ap-
piled for by the Government or
by any person, company or cor
poration.
Both the restraining order and
the injunction. in so far as its pro-
hibitory features are concerned,
are predicated upon the Lever act,
a law enacted by Congress for
the purpose of preventing specu-,
lation and profiteering of the
food and fuel supplies Of the
country. There never was in the
acting that law or in the
mind of the President when ne
signed 1t, that the Lever act
L. IL,
cases of strikes or lockouts. The
food controller, Mr.. Hoover, spe-
officially so stated.
Promised Labor Exempt.
Members of the committee hav-
ing the bill in charge have IN
writing declared that it was not
in the minds of the Committee.
and the then Attorney General.
Mr.. Gregory, gave assurance that
the Government would not apply
that law to the workers ef-
forts to obtain Improved work
ing conditions. Every assurance
from the highest authority of our
Government was given that the
law would not-be so applied.
In the course of President Will
sons address, to the Buffalo Neoii-
vention of the American Fedora
ton of Labor, November, 1917,
among other things he said:
while we are fighting for
freedom, we must see among 9TH
er things that labor is free. and
that means a number of inter
esting things. 1t 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 onerous 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"
.Autocratic Action.
The autocratic action OF our
Government in these proceedings
is of such a nature thst IL stag.
gers the human mind. In free
country, to conceive OF govern
ment applying for and obtaining
restraining order prohibiting
the officials of labor organizs-
tion from contributing their own
money for the purpose of procur-
ing food for women and children
that might be starving. is some
thing that when known will
shock the sensibilities of man
and will cause resentment. Sure
ly the thousands of men who are
lying in France, under the soil,
whose blood was offered for the
freedom of the world, never
dreamed that so shortly after
ward in their own country $50, 900
workers endeavoring to better
their Working conditions would
have the Government decide that
they were not entitled to the as
sistance Of their fellow men and
that their wives and children
should starve, by order of the
Government.
Injunction without Warrant.
1t is a welLesta blished. princi-
pie that the inherent purpose OF
the Injunction processes. where
there is no other adequate rem
edy at law, was for the purpose
or protecting property and prop
erty righths only. thereby exer-
cising the equity power Of the
courts to prevent immediate and
irreparable injury.
1t was never intended and
there Is no warrant of the law in
all our country to use the in
junction power of equity courts
to curtail personal rights or reg
ulate personal relations. 1t was
never intended to take the place
of government by law by substi-
tuting personal and discretionary
government.
Ihe Lever act provides it's own
penalties for violators of it's pro-
Visions. The injunction issued in
this case has for it's purpose not
a trlal by court and a Jury, but
an order OF the court predicated
upon the assumption that the law
might De violated and by which
the defendants may be brought
before the court for contempt and
without any trial by jury.
Blow At Justice.
We declare that the proceedings
in this case are unwarranted, as
they are unparalleled in the his
tory Of our country, and we de-
clare that it is an injustice which
not only the workers but all
lioerty-loving Americans will re-
pudlate and demand redress of.
The citizenshTD Of our oo,,.r,