| Show ORGANIZED TYRANNY thim THE strike that occurred recently on the building now being erected for zions savings bank gives rise to serious reflections on general principles we are opposed to strikes kev beaise they usually result in much more harm than good to all parties affected and are often started on incorrect principles there may be occasions when they offer the only remedy at hand for a great wrong and resort to them may then be justifiable but generally they are injurious to both workmen and employers and originate in a spirit of antagonism and coercion the strike to which we now refer was not a voluntary movement on the part of the men who left their work but was ordered by a society of which they are members it was not commanded on account of any dispute as to wages or the hours of labor there was no disaffection of the workmen towards the contractor the sole ground of complaint taking the statements of both sides in the disagreement was the employment of men who did not belong to the union or would not subscribe to its dictates mr watson was required to discharge the nonunion non union men in his employment this he would not do thereupon the union men were ordered by a committee to quit work some efthem of them did so under protests protest as they considered it wrong and unjustifiable but yielded for fear of the consequences of disobedience now we ask all fair men to look at the situation as it is without prejudice and say if this proceeding on the part of the federated trades union was right or justifiable the nonunion non union men were requested by the representatives of that body to join the union this they declined to do force was waa then resorted to in the shape of a demand for their discharge and this failing the strike was ordered a further resort to force in order to compel mr watson to concede to I the demands of the union or suffer from the hindrance of the fulfilment fulfillment of his contract mr watson has neither said nor done anything against the union he has employed union men as freely as others the union has attempted to dictate to him as to whom be shall or shall not dot employ and he declines to submit Is he not right in his decision the rights of employers must be in view jew as well as the rights of workmen both classes are necessary their interests are interdependent regard should be had by each for the welfare of the other if for no higher reason than this fact of mutual dependence A contractor has both a legal and a moral right to employ such workmen as suit his purpose and there is no principle of justice or law human or divine that requires him to submit to the demands of any combination as to the class he shall engage such dictation is tyranny in one of its worst forms working people have the right to combine for mutual protection and support the maintenance of their I 1 individual u and society rights but they have not the right to combine against their fellows to the injury of persons who do not choose to join them and comply with their regulations by doing this they invade the rights of others and violate the spirit and the letter of the law and place themselves on the plane of oppression and rank themselves with the despots of the world the men against whom the federated trades union conspired have just as much right to stay out of that society as its members had bad to go in the compulsion sought to be used against them was improper in every sense of the word it was not manly it was exercising the power of the strong against the weak it endeavored to deprive them of the means of support for themselves and families because they dared dar ed to differ from the union men and did not wish to bow to their be behesta behests beh bests ests such tyranny should be enough to make every freeman rise in his independence and determine that he will riot not be brought into such bondage Is this the kind of liberty that these unions seek to establish it is a desecration of the sacred word it is an attempted invasion of the common rights of roan man we are not opposed to unions if by the term is meant associations for mutual help the bettering of work mens condition financially socially or in any other sense but we think every thoughtful man and consistent public journal should be opposed to combinations bi nations which would com compel p el men to become members thereof under any consideration or attempt to injure j u re employers who dare to give labor to non members they are dangerous to society we regard them thein as unlawful associations courts in the states have ruled that such conduct is conspiracy under the criminal laws they conspire against the and liberties of nonunion non aon union workmen they conspire against the rights and liberties and property of employers suppose the capitalists contract ors and business men of this city and territory were to combine and refuse to employ any man who belonged to one of these unions how il would the members like the turn of the tables we heard some prominent employers of workmen discussing 4 that question last evening we opposes the idea because we believe in the freedom of men to join or abstain from joining a society of wim description and we would not infringe upon that liberty but a combination of employers against unions would be just as proper an aa such societies as seek to dictate employers in the choice of their workmen and we think all euion men will see this point a if they look at it without 2 the glasses of their would be leaders we feel ashamed to know that many of these men who have combined this improper manner axe am mormons cormons Mor mons 11 it would seem that they ought to understand that such proceedings are in violation of the sacred principles of human freedom which their creed seeks to establish that men should not be in bondage one to another god al might has declared he raised up wise and valiant men to establish A the constitution of the united states and anything more or lew I 1 than this he says cometh or of evil they havi have made a mistake lt it ig ie a one very foundation of human liberty stift detrimental to society it tends to break down instead of build up R a I 1 creates a power that should not be b fc exercised over the souls of men it is tyrannous both to the aubdon and non members of theo az tion it would force men against t their h air free choice to join a sod with which they are not in aock and compel its members to a oo 00 which is revolting to their seu bew justice and propriety this la Is only an evil to individuals it is a wrong to society A person who is permitted daily to vent his spleen and display his ignorance bad manners and lack of common decency in the columns of a fitting sheet calls the men who declined to join this union mormon scabs and announces that ahey they caused bricklayers and masons to strike 11 asa As a number of them are pronounced gentiles and many of the strikers are mor imor mons anoda and as the individuals thus abused did nothing but exercise their proper liberty while the strikers committed the overt act the mendacity and scurrility of this must be obvious to this is not a question of mormon or non mormon as men of both classes are among the union and nonunion non nou union workmen neither is it a question of politics it is simply a question of the right of a combination of men to force their fellow laborers to i join oln a society and to compel employers to give work to such men mea as the society shall dictate against such arbitrary at tempts every lover of human freedom should set his face and iader his protest no matter what may be his creed or party we believe mr watson will WIH have the support of considerate people of every shade of opinion on local matters and we hope he will succeed in obtaining all the skilled labor he needs to complete his con upsets tracts we advise our friends who have erred in this matter to review their course do what is right and ecka let the consequence follow |
