Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-02
LABOR To OBEY
INJUNCTION Of
FEDERAL COURT
Promises to Cooperate
With Government in
Averting Trouble.
But Strike Will Con
tinue, Says Statement
of Federation.

Chicago, Sept. 1.-(By the Associ-
ated Press) s).-Enforcement of the in
junction obtained by the attorney gen
eral against lawlessness and violence
in connection with the shop crafts
strike would be aided by every power
of shop crafts organization, a state
ment issued by the executive commit
tee of the railway employees depart
ment of the American Federation of
Labor said Friday night.
"The officials of these organizations
have done everything possible since
the beginning of the strike to maintain
peaceful suspension of work." the
statement said.
Considering the difficulties of pre-
serving perfect order in any group of
100000 men engaged in a struggle for
a decent livelihood, it must be admitted
that the strike has been remarkable
demonstration of the law-abiding char
acter of the workers involved.
1T is unfortunate that, in suit for
the announced purpose of preventing
lawlessness, the attorney generals Of
flee has prepared and a court, on hasty
consideration, has entered an order
which, unless carefully interpreted,
might be read as a fragrant violation
of constitutional rights of American
citizens as repeatedly affirmed by the
supreme court of the United States.
Restraints Free Speech
Apparently either haste or failure
to use the English language with pre-
cision has led to the drafting of an
order which, read too literally, would
deny the right of free speech or com
Inunication of any sort or just pay
rnent of debts or mutual aid in lawful
association to men engaged in the
peaceful legal conduct of their busi-
ness.
1T can hardly be assumed that the
federal court had intended to restrain,
or has restrained these lawful acts
necessarily involved in carrying on the
legitimate work of labor organization,
some or all of whose members are en-
gagged in a legally conducted strike TO
accomplish lawful purposes. Such
acts, including peaceful picketing, as
to be lawful by the supreme court of
the United States, cannot be assumed
to come within the provisions of the
restraining order entered by Judge
Wilkerson.
If a strike of railroad employees and
it's peaceful conduct were an unlawful
proceeding, it cannot be assumed that
the attorney general of the United
States would have waited two months
TO proceed against the strikers. or that
the president of the United States
would have held conferences with law
breakers and proposed that the law
breakers whom they represented should
return to work under terms which
they afterward accepted and which the
railway executives rejected There
fore, we assume that the right of the
railway employees is acknowledged to
carry on a lawful strike in lawful
manner until a satisfactory settlement
is made.
Will Continue Duties
"At least until advised that the con-
stitution of the United States and the
decisions of the supreme court are no
longer to be relied upon as the law of
the land, the officials of the organiza-
ton of railway employees viii continue
to perform their legitimate duties to
their members, to aid them in the law
full pursuit of their lawful purposes
and to do all in their power in con-
junction with officers of government
to restrain and to punish every unlaw-
full act of those who are rightfully in
volved or who without right involve
themselves in the operation of the
railroads.
The statement was signed by order
of the executive council of the rail-
road employees department of the
American Federation of Labor. John
Scott. secretary of the organization,
said B. NJ. Jewell, the president of the
shop crafts. was not present at the
meeting when the statement was pre-
pared. Mr.. Scott said that so far as
he knew, Mr.. Jewell had received no
official information concerning the re-
straining order. He did not know
where Mr.. Jewell was. The meeting
was held at the strike committees
Headquarters here.