The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-10-29

insure its solvency and living wage
TO its employees, the whole unhappy
CONNECT might have been prevented.
Further, it is impossible to excuse
great municipality for not providing
at public expense and under strictly
public control an adequate, disciplined
police force which would make the
importation of armed guards an un-
thinkable alternative. There is no
more disturbing influence in industry
at the present time than the tendency
to transfer the police power of govern
ment to privately controlled agents
who are irresponsive to the claims of
justice and who are devoid of that dis.
cipllne which the successful exercise
OF police power requires. That the
consequences of importing armed men
to guard and operate the street cars
included a heavy toll of life, for which
no jury has fixed responsibility, is a
dlsquieting fact which remains a NOR
al liability of the entire community"
Of the spy SYSTEM" which is COM
monty used by employers to combat
the workers, the report says:
The Tramway company, in accord
ance with very general practice. en-
ployed spies to learn what the men
were doing. 1t is contended that this
is an unavoidable practice. But a SEN
sitiVe conscience can only look with
stern disapproval upon practice
which substitutes suspicion for con-
hdence and treachery for honest deal
ing. The spy system defeats itself.
1t deceives no one, and it invites coun-
ter-espionage. It's agents tend to pro-
woke the evils which they are sup
posed to check. 1t is admittedly a war
measure. Must we admit that indus
try is normally war? The whole sys
tenn is undoubtedly one of the most
dlsruptlve influences in our industrial
order"
Publicity Methods DepIored.
The publicity methods employed to
dlscredlt the strikers are especially
deplored:
"A frequent method of attacking Ia
Dor during industrial controversies is
to represent that labor has fallen un-
der the vicious influence of radical agi-
tators. Sober, home-loving and law
abiding workingmen whose patriotism
cannot be questioned and whose ha-
tired OF every form of anarchy and
laWlessness is deepseated both in their
ancestry and in their whole education
and training, are recklessly and wick
edly charged with harboring senti-
ments which the men themselves re-
pudiate, and with being Influenced by
outside agitators who exist only in
the imagination of their calumniators.
This particular kind of misrepresenta-
tion is feature of almost every indus
trial controversy, and the tramway
strike in Denver was no exception"
ut is not to be assumed that en-
ployers' propaganda is more partisan
or less fair than labor propaganda in
time OF a bitter struggle. Yet the en-
ployer's publicity resources are great
er and he should argue his case be-
fore the public by honest statement
and with imprisoned motives"
Strikes Criticized.
The men are criticized in the Re-
port for their precipitate action in
striking while their cause was before
the courts.
"The men-at least their executive
board-must bear responsibility for
an action which, on the face, was con-
trary to instructions from the court.
The irfegularity and inapplicability
of the court order had been asserted,
but not proved. Aside from those who
may have known of the understand
ing arrived at with the city to the
effect that the Union would not re-
sent or resist it, the rank and file ap.
pear to have regarded the restraining
order as unfair, and even illegal.
They should have known, however,
that the course which they took was
certain to forfeit public sympathy and
not likely to secure redress of a griev-
ance.
after the disturbances of the first
week of the strike the men should
have made all possible speed to ter
inmate it. 1t was no time to stand on
ceremony. When their executive de-
clared the strike ended, they should
have gone back to work"
At the same time the use of the In
junction in cases of this kind is de-
clared to be questionable and fraught
with danger
"The application for n restraining
order from the court to prevent the
men from striking was an extreme
measure. The public should under
stand that workingmen are wont to
regard as inviolable the right of col
lective action. The status of the en-
ployees before the court was very
different from that of the company.
The company had franchise from the
city and definite contract for serv-
ice upon which it's privileges depend.
ed. The men had neither contract
nor franchise. With due regard to
the understanding arrived at that the
Union would not oppose the order, the
history Of the use of injunctions to
prevent labor organizations from col
lective action shows that they result
in sense of deep wrong and an omi-
nous distrust of the courts. Here is
an acute problem in the presence OF
which the public is obligated to exer-
II