The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-04-02
MR.. SIMON sTERNE ON REDUCING
IABORERs TO SLAVERY.

| ten a letter TO the New York Times. In
which he discusses the action OF the
| United States Court in Ohio in It's init
nation that II would attempt TO force the
railroad employees to remain in the SER
vice OF their employers after they de-
sired to quit. Mr.. Sterne does not claim
| that there is anything in the law as it
now stands that authorizes a court TO
require this Of an employee but he thinks
that the Legislature should so amend the
laws as to authorize it. He says:
IF the law as II stands does not sufii-
GENTLY recognize this duty on the part
OF employees. there should be no hesita-
ton to adopt amendments TO The law by
which taking employment in function
| the performance OF which is so necessary
| for the public veal as the regular trans
portation of passengers goods ana mails
| should be regarded as an enlistment Tor
a term OF years in the public service
| and a railway engineer should no more
be permitted at the instigation OF chlef
| OF his trades union to take his engine
10 the round house than a soldier should
be permitted to lay down his musket
without proper command from superior
| officer 10 do So"
II is Just as well 10 point out clearly
and at once the difference between the
service OF an enlisted soldier and that
OF a railroad, or any other employe.
The soldier is performing service 10
government which government can com
pei him TO perform in accordance with
the terms OF his enlistment. All men
owe military service to their country,
and while they are in that service they
are virtually slaves. and must obey orders
with no tight whatever to leave the SER
vice until their period OF service is ended.
But a railroad corporation is not the
government, nor. in any manner what
ever, the representative OF government
The corporation represents an association
/ of individuals cooperating together 10
make money The relation of the en-
Move TO this corporation is in no sense
whatever like that OF the soldier per
forming service that he owes to his gov
eminent. 1t IS contractual solely ana
simply, and the employe has every right
as against his employer which any other
marty to a contract has, and this includes
and involves the right to quit service ana
nav such damages for the breach Of his
contract as twelve men shall agree upon
Mr.. Sterne cannot modify this relation
between employees and railroads without
either making the employe a slave TO
another private individual-the railroad
corporation-or else, by taking govern
ment control OF all railroads and con-
verting them thereby into a representative
of government commanding and entorc-
ing that sort OF slavery from the citizen
which the government requires when IL
compels him TO perform military ser
vice
Mr.. sterne would probably admit all this
10 be true but he is, no doubt one OF
,bose so much in love with what they
call "progrcss" that he is willing 10 DO
one or the other-perhaps both. Inc
Times VII consent TO neither II Will
NOT agree that any American citizen
shall be reduced to any form Of slavery
whatever to another private citizen. nor
will It agree that :he Government shall
take control Of the railroads that 1t may
thereby acquire a right to demand
sIave's service from the employees. The
Times thinks Il much better that gentle
men wishing to go quickly from New
York to Boston should be occasi )nally
delayed while freemen are exercise lS
those rights which necessarily inhere in
them II they are 10 be and remain free
men. than that we should surrender and
abandon the fixed principles in our free
Government which were secured TO us
by tho patriots who shed their blood in
the field and on the sc-ffold and by the
martyrs who persisted at the stake. We
see no reason for abandoning all that we
cherish in our institutions because the
travelling public occasionally suffers in
convenience from labor strikes. If the
principle is TO be tolerated at all. we
shall next have a demand that Govern
ment shall take charge of hotels because
their guests are sometimes incon-
venienced by strikes, or Of hacks, or OF
the butchers business. and what not.
The Times says. let us stick to the
institutions Of our Government which
have been agreed on and adopted by
our ancestors as the outcome Of genera
lions and centuries of struggles and ex-
perience. All fancied evils can be cured
inside the scope OF those principles. and
let the effort be to maintain these while
seeking cures for disorder. If every all
road would require its employees before
entering its service to contract that they
would give the company ten or more
days notice before quitting. and when
deemed necessary, would require them 10
make deposit or to give security that
they would perform this part OF their con-
tract this simple precaution would per-
haps end all the Inconvenience the
travelling public suffers from strikes. But.
whatever the method. the public can be
secured against annoyance without eban-
doning the foundation principles OF De-
mocracy. but whether 1t can or cannot.
Tho Times will stand the Inconvenience
rather than give up these principles