The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-01-28

IASAAeS VI "ASAAAuSlOu. H. IS Wei
come news and will be received with
joy by every person in America Of
liberal thought. Public opinion
should be organized everywhere in
favor Of the passage of the Nc
Swain bill by, congress.
e. Practically every recent important
decision emanating from the SUI
prene court has been by a five to
four. vote, the minority filing dis
senting opinions severely criticizing
the tendency Of the tribunal to set
. itself up as superior to congress
or the mandate of, the electorate.
This one-man rule. declares Con-
gressman McSwain, is becoming a
serious question to the minds of the
thinking people Of the country.
= Courts Lack of Respect.
1--WE, hear" he says, much about
lawlessness. about the lack Of re-
spect by the people for laws and for
the courts, and the criticisms are
justified. But call the attention
of congress and the country to the
= lask OF respect by the majority of
the court for the minority of the
court.
, I'VE will not convict boot1egger
without unanimous verdict from
the jury, but we permit the supreme
court by vote Of five to four to
. declare null and void the supreme
will Of the whole American people
speaking through congress, consist
ing of 533 men,, at least SO per
cont ~ whom %
Congressman McSWain lays parti-
{, cular emphasis. ON a recent deci-
sion of the court, given by a. five
to four vote, holding unconstitu-
tional an act of Arizona permitting
( peaceful picketing by workers dur
ing strikes.
tss Bar: to- Progress.
~ This decision has been widely
Ey' Tie lAbo r, and lib-
eral press it is regarded as notice
to. the workers that it is useless
for them to seek to improve. their
condition through political effort.
While five members; of the su .
preme court place; property rights
above human rights, as they have
consistently done in every case that
has been before that tribunal for
the past two years, it: is a waste
OF time and. money to advocate the
enactment Of laws designed to-. COR
rect unjust conditions affecting: the
: welfare Of workers or any other
I group Of: society.
The public has had a. sorry ex-
'perience in trying to protect itself
4 from the eXtortion of monopolies
and with every form Of social leg
'islation. Child labor laws, WON ems
protective laws, antitrust laws and
labor laws. have fallen under, the
blight Of the one lone individual of
the court who makes up a bare ma
jority.
Congressman McSwain declares
4 that congress has the power to COR
rect this condition, and this bill to
regulate the supreme court is the
first step in that direction.
Turning Injunction Tables.
III. Labor leaders received with mixed
emotions the injunction decree is
]. sued by a New York court against
an employers association. They got
grim satisfaction out Of the fact
that the favorite weapon of en-
ployers had been directed against
/ them, seeing in this poetic JUSTICE -
But the fundamental proposition of
the use of legal processes in labor
con Lroversy appeals to them as of
vastly greater Importance, and their
opinion on this matter has not
Y changed in the slightest degree.
The only basis on which labor
= could accept the Intervention of the
court in their economic struggles
would be that the courts were al
4 ways fair and mpartial-Which they
semphatically are not. For every
Judge who would hold the scales
even and give the workers a fair
shake, the employer would find a
score who would close his eyes to
the equities involved while render
ing drastic and liberty destroying
an5unctions making 1t difficult for
tabor to redress in the only way
possible its grievances.
The use of injunctions by labor
3 has been ,1ikened to the use of poi
son Gas m warfare. If one side uses
b the dafanable stuff, the other side
4 must employ it in self-defense. But
(, that does not change the atrocious
|. nature Of the gas. Two wrongs
never made one right. Labor would
forbid the use Of the injunction by
either side in an industrial con.
troversy; just as it would outlaw the
uSa OF poison gas by either side in
military operations. d.
, Workers May Rule.
IL the workers of this nation are
met In control Of the political ma.
chinery, 1t is the workers own fault
Tkat3is truth that cannot be side.
stepped or wiped out. Possessing
4 as they do. the economic power, the
WORKERS. also have the political pow.
~. Who is to be blamed but work.
,ers themselves when they delegate
}hpth economic and political power t.
their enemies? ~ :t.-,.,.. ~. -
\ i'll. recent political struggles vher,
Continued on Page - ~ =
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