Year: 1877

The result of the trial in the U. S. Circuit
Court of the six men charged with conspiracy
to retard the mails at the time of the Boston &
Maine strike must be gratifying to all good
citizens who believe in law and order and
have an interest in the preservation of peace
ful methods in the community. Here was
case where body of men banded themselves
together, on account of dissatisfaction with a
railroad company, to prevent the running of
trains and thus impede the means of trans.
portation OF passengers and freight and to
hinder the carriage of the mails. That their
primary purpose was not to obstruct the
mails is no excuse; men are responsible
for the necessary results of their acts and
these men knew that they were stopping
mails wAen they stepped the trains that
bore them. Though the punishment i'm.
pending over them is for their offense
against the United States government, yet
at the same time they receive retribution
for the great inconvenience which they in
ficted upon the public and for their violation
of all the laws and usages of civilized society.


1t is an instructive commentary upon the
disrepute into which iuries have fallen by rea-
son of their frequent violation of their oath
under influence of sympathy or other i'm
proper motives, that many persons feared
that the present jury would fail to convict
though the case seemed so plain and the nee
essity of conviction SO imperative. All honor
be to the jury which has stood steadfast in
this trial for the protection of the commun-
ity from the lawlessness of combinations such
as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
Their action reaches farther than the present
case and will be potent in putting check to
the tyranny of tradesunions which has led to
such deplorable results in many parts of the
country. Let it be thoroughly understood
that all infractions of law will be visited with
rigorous punishment in the case of combina-
tions as well as of individuals, and the spirit
of disorder will be effectually quelled. Men


will not care to act as committees or officers
of tradesunions if they know that they will be
held personally responsible to outraged law
for all the mischief which they may organize.


1t is impossble-indeed would be unnatu-
ral-not to feel strong sympathy for the
misguided men who find themselves in this
woful plight. They little fancied when they
set out to what results their action would
lead. No more did the organizers of the
strikes in Pennsylvania foresee what a dark
chapter of blood and destruction they were
adding to the worlds history. 1t boots little
to go back to the origin of the difficulty and
seek to place the blame elsewhere than on
the strikers. If the railroad company treated
the employees arbitrarily or paid them too little
wages, it was always optional to leave an un-
desirable service; and possibly the men
would have been entitled to the sympathy of
the public in such case. But when thew
went further and attempted to coerce the
company by deliberate conspiracy to pre-
vent the progress of its business they became
at once the enemies of society and went be-
yond the reach of legitimate sympathy. 1t is
a sad and grievous thing which has fallen
upon them and everybody will be sorry that
it needs must be; but at the same time, their
offenses having been committed, it is both
necessary and desirable that the punishment
be inflicted without fnching. The safety
well being, and peace of the community de-
mand it. The court, prosecuting officer and
juryshave done well and merit the approving
confidence of the people.