Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-11-10
UNION LABOR
in which event chaos and confusion |
would result.
CONTINUED from page one.)

kSOntlHucu ITOIu page OnS.J
in which event chaos and confusion
would result.
RLAMEs OWNERS.
The officers of the mine workers,
with their scale committee, entered
coal conferences and discussions with
operators in the city Of Buffalo. They
stated at the conference that they had
full power to negotiate an agreement,
in other words, that they had the
power to give and take in the confer
enCe. The employers refused to make
any offer whatever. Later on the min
ers answered the call of the secretary
of labor and further endeavored to
reach an agreement, but failed. The
officers then proceeded to carry out
tho instructions of their memberships
and communicated the result of the
failure of negotiations and by order of
the convention the strike automatic
ally took effect Nov. l. 1919
The machinery which has existed
foi years and which has been sue
cessful in bringing about agreements
between the miners and the operators
still exists, and they as representatives
Of the miners were and are ready and
willing to enter into negotiations with
out reservation to reach an agreement
FEDERAL ACTION.
AT this time, our government in
terjected itself and applied for an
injunction.
"A temporary restraining order was
granted by a federal judge which re-
strains the officials of the miners from
in any way advising their membership
on the situation. or contributing any
OF the money of the mine workers
to the assistance of the men on strike,
also restraining them from discussing,
writing or entering into any kind of
a convention with their membership
on the strike situation.
Then the government proceeded to
further invade the rights of the min
ers, not only by restraining the miners,
| their officers and members from fur
| thering the purposes for which the
men contended, but went to further
! lengths of demanding from the court
an order commanding the officers 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 country
has any such mandatory order been
obtained or even applied for by the
government or by any person, COM
pany 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 preventing
| speculation and profiteering of food
and fuel supplies of the country. There
never was in the minds of congress
In enacting 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 or lock-
outs. The food controller, Mr.. Hoover,
| specifically SO stated. Members of the
committee. having them in charge
have in writing declared that 1t was
not in the minds of the committee,
and the then attorney general, Mr..
Gregory, gave assurance that the gov
eminent would not apply that law to
the workers effort to obtain improved
| working conditions. Every assurance
| from the highest authority Of our gov
eminent was given that the law would
not be SO applied.
PRESIDENTS WORDS.
I'm the course of President Wilson's
address to the Buffalo convention of
the American Federation of Labor, In
November, 1917, among other things.
he said
"'while we are fighting for freedom,
we must see, among other things, that
labor is free, and that means a num-
Der of Interesting 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 rem
dered more onerous by the war. but
also that we shall see to 1t that the
instrumentalities by which the condi-
lions of labor are improved are not
blocked or checked. That we must
do
THE autocratic action of our gov
i eminent in these proceedings is OF
such nature that 1t staggers the
human mind. In a free country. to
conceive of a government applying for
and obtaining a restraining order pro-
hibiting the officials of labor organ
isation from contributing their own
money for the purpose of procuring
food for women and children that
might be starving. IL something that
when known, will shock the sensibili-
ties Of man and will cause resentment
Surely the thousands Of men who are
lying In France. under the soil whose
tblood was offered for the freedom OF
the world never dreamed that &C
shortly afterwards in their own coun-
try $4,000 woekers, endeavoring tc
! batter their working conditions, would
have the government decide that they
I were not entitled to the assistance OF
their fellow men and that their wives
and children should starve. by order
Of the government.
1T u . well established principle thai
the Inherent purpose Of the injunction
| processes, where there II no other ade-
quate remedy 1T law. was for the pur-
lpoee Of protesting property and prop.
Gty rights only, thereby exercising thu
| EQUITY power Of the courts to prevent
emmediate ana irreparsble injury.
IN1UNcTIoN UNFAIR.
1T was never Intended and there II
no warrant Of the law IN AL our coun.
w TO uBs the Injunction power o.
equity courts to curtail personal right
- regulate personal relattons. It wa