The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-04-19
The Rights Of Servants.

No one has ever codified the provisions
| and enactments that determine the legal
status of dOmestics, but Oliver Z. Iy-
! man has put into magazine article
! some broad principles established in the
courts which will make interesting
reading for both servant and mistress,
and which, if properly understood,
| might make the relations of both much
! more tolerable. If man calls doe
/ tor to attend a servant who is i'll, he
must foot the bill. The same is true of
a mistress provided she is a widow or
never had a husband; if married, the
law makes it a matter of doubt. As a
rule, the wife cannot bind her husband,
as he IS not under obligation to furnish
medical relief for his servants The
wife has no right to contract, but if she
has property separate from her husband
the case is different, and in some States
she can be held on her separate estate
by the servant. Though not bound to
furnish doctor, the employer must
supply food and support so long as the
servant remains in his employ Again.
domestic in good standing has
right to recommendation or - char
acter" upon leaving, and refusal to
furnish one on account of any personal
feeling properly subjects the employer
to punishment under the law. If a man
designedly gives a bad character not
deserved, the injured party can sue and
recover, as has in many cases been
done. A voluntary communication.
particularly if unfavOrable to the serv-
ant, is regarded with suspicion To
speak i'll of servants has been seriously
looked upon by the courts when the
facts do not Substantiate it, since a
character means servants only sup
port as rule. In Massachusetts a false
charge to a third party is held to be
hbelOus. If the statement is made in
answer to a question, it must be to a
person interested in the answer other
than as matter of gossip Again. do
mestics are entitled to their wages
whether any work is set before them to
do or not, as long as they are on hand
and ready to work. The right to wages
is not affected by damage done to prop
erty in the ordinary course of her or his
duties. A master or mistress cannot
deduct from a servants wages the
value of crOCkery or windows broken
without q special agreement. If such
reduction IS made upon the day of pay
ment, the servant can sue for damages.
The party hiring, however, can bring a
crOss-sut and then the question
whether the damage to property was
unnecessary can come up as Il fact to
be shown. Thus one suit might balance
the other but to deduct wages in the
first instance is clearly overriding the
rights of servant-girls. A servant can
also sue for breach of contract if wrong
fully discharged before the specified
time. When no specified time is agreed
upon either party can terminate the re-
latiOns even without notice. although
custom regulates in a manner that
matter The earnings of children be
long to the father. and where he is dead,
to the widow. If, however, the widow
marTies again, she loses her claim on
the wages of the children. A parent
can forfeit his claim to the wages of
children by allowing it to 60 by and
not attempting to collect. particularly if
he does not contribute to the chiId's
support. In New York State the parent
must formally notify the employer that
the wages belong to him. otherwise he
can not collect. - Springfield (HasS)
Republican,