| Show ABOLISH TUB P1NKERTONS One of the recommendations which SAn EXT the head of tho Brotherhood of Locomotive Loco-motive Firemen makes to the onvehtIon in session In San Francisco should be adopted and acted upon It Is that steps betaken taken to secure legislation prohibiting the employment of PiXKEntoxs It is > a fact which nobody pretends to deny that the PIXKEKTOX gangs are made up largely of toughs and thugs Tfiey are fighters and are hired to light They have no interest in the cause and are ready to fight on the side which will pay the most money for their services The rights in the controversy are nothing to them All they are interested in is the money which they receive for their cDntemptlble work It so happens that in many if not tho majority of the instances in which they are employed they aro on tho wrong side of the controversy which fact increases their unpopularity and furnishes a strong argument in favor of their abolition aboli-tion But the chief reason why those hired ruffians should not be used is the fact that their employment is a reflection on the power and authority of the state and a confession con-fession on the part of the latter that it is either unable or unwilling to perform its duty towards its individual members There is not a state in tbeunion which cahnotpro tect its citizens in their rights of person or property The New York Central railroad company is not compelled to hire m3n with guns to protect its property The great state is abundantly able to furnish all the protection pro-tection required and to punish the aggressors no matter if the latter include all the labor organizations within its boundaries The city of Chicago and tho state of Illinois have the power and should exercise it to uphold men in their right to work without molestation by strikers and when Chicago and Illinois fail in this and compel or permit private citizens citi-zens to hire armed posses to supply the necessary protection they are both Jailing In their duty and are encouraging anarchy in which might takes the place of right and 1 tho individual becomes a law unto himself as against everyother individual The firemen will do well to press this matter and to enlist other organizations the movement until legislators will pass laws forbidding the surrender of state authority and duty to private parlies When the constituted authority shall become be-come so weak or cowardly that It cannot or dare not assert itself for the protection of citizens in their person and their property rights it will be time enough for individuals and companies to employ force in their own behalf |
