It almost takes the breath away from Englishmen to read
of the calm and unquestioning way in which the American strike leaders have acted upon the injunction. Although their word of command to the strikers may be nomina I rather than actual in its effects, their quick compliance is none the less remarkable. Truly an American injunction is a wonderful weapon that enjoys the reputation of Excalibur itself. In Great Britain the Courts are cautious in issuing an injunction, and when one is issued it is more often of a negative than of a nositive kind. It tells a man what he is not to do rather than what he is called upon to do. The American attitude is no doubt due to the persistent feeling of vast numbers of American citizens that as holders of property they have "a stake in the country." That feeling is in the air and affects every one. Americans of to-day would find less obsolete than we do Ireton's principle that the only people worth consulting were the forty-shilling freeholders.
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