The Monett times., 1922-09-08
LABOR HEADS TO
CONTINUE STRIKE LEAD
Statement Issued By Officials of
Crafts Say Injunction Does Not
Stop Rights of Strikers.


of the injunction obtained by the at
torney general against lawlessness
and violence in connection with the
shop craft strike will be aided by
every power of the shop crafts or
ganization, a statement issued by the
executive committee of the railway
employees department of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor said tonight.
The officials of these organizations
have done everything since the be-
ginning to maintain peaceful sus-
pension of work, the statement said.
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 law
full association to men engaged in the
peaceful legal conduct of their busi-
ness, il is claimed.
Considering the difficulties Of pre-
serving perfect order in any group of
400, 900 men engaged in a struggle
for decent livelihood, it must be adj
mitted that the strike has been re-
markable for the lawabiding charac-
ter of the workers involved
1t is unfortunate that in a suit for
the announced purpose 'of preventing
lawlessness the attorney generals
office has prepared, and court on
hasty consideration, has entered an
order which, unless carefully in
terpreted, might be regarded as a
fragrant violation of the constitutional
rights of American citizens, as re-
peatedly affirmed by the supreme
court.
Apparently it can hardly be assum-
ed that the federal court had intended
to restrain or has restrained those
lawful acts necessarily involved in
carrying on the legitimate work of
labor organizations, ONE or all of
whose members are engaged in a.
legally conducted strike to accomplish
lawful purposes. Such acts, includ-
ing peaceful picketing as had been re-
peatedly and recently held to be law
full by the supreme court of the Uni
ted States, cannot be assumed to
come within the provisions of the re-
straining order entered by Judge
Wflkerson. @
Ifta strike of railroad employees and
it's peaceful conduct were unlawful
proceedings it cannot be assumed that
the attorney general would have wait
ed two months to proceed against the
strikers or that the president of the
United States would have held con-
ferences with lawbreakers and propos-
ed that the law breakers whom they
represent should return to work
under terms which they afterward ac-
cepted and which the railroad exec
utives rejected. Therefore we assume
that the right of the railway en-
ployes is acknowledged to conduct a
lawful strike in lawful manner until
a satisfactory settlement is made4
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 on as the law
Of the land the officials of the or
ganization of railroad employees will
continue their legitimate duties to
their members, to aid them in the
lawful pursuit of their lawful pur-
poses and to do all in their power in |
conjunction with officers Of the gov
ernment to restrain and to punish !
every unlawful act of those who ares
involved or who without
right involve themselves in the opera
tions 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 organizations
said.
B. M. Jewell, the president of the
shop crafts, was not present at the
meeting when the statement was pre-
pared.