Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-04-04
RIcks' JUDGMENT ON THE MEN.
He Says That They Cannot Always Quit
Work When They Please.

He Says That They Cannot Always Quit
Work When They Please.
Judge Ricks' decision in the case of the
Lake Shore men was briefly as follows:
This suit was instituted by the Ann
Arbor Railroad company to compel the
Lake Shore and other railroads to handle
its business known as interstate freight.
The interstate commerce law made It man.
datory upon connecting railroads to re-
ceive and deliver passengers and freight,
and to afford equal facilities for the inter
change of traffic. Corporations can act
only through their officers, agents and ser
wants, SO that the mandatory provisions of
the law which apply to the corporation
apply with equal force to its officers and
employees.
The Unprecedented Happens.
"The authority of the court to issue such
an order has been questioned, but it
rests on well-established principles. 1t is
said the orders issued in this case are
without precedent. Every just order or
rule known to equity courts was born OF
some emergency to meet some new condl-
tions and was therefore in its time without
a precedent. If based on sound principles
and beneficial results follow their enforce
ment, affording necessary relief to the one
party without imposing illegal burdens on
the other, new remedies and unprece-
pented orders are not unwelcome aids to
the chancellor to meet the constantly vary
ing demands of equitable relief.
Gave Them the Renefit Of the Doubt.
"As hereinbefore intimated, the duties of
an employe of a public corporation are
such that he cannot always choose his own
time for quitting that service" The court
then acquitted Engineers Clark, Case,
Rutger and Conley and their firemen, Civ
ing them the benefit of the doubt that they
quit with the purpose of boycotting "Ann
Arbor" freight. The judge says: "An act
when done by an individual in the exercise
of right may be lawful, but when done
by number conspiring to injure or inn
properly influence another may be unlaw-
full. One or more employees may lawfully
quit their employers service at will; but q
combination of a number of them to do SO
for the purpose of injuring the public and
expressing employers by unjustly subject
ing them to the power of the confederates
for extortion or for mischief is criminal"
Will he Less Merciful in Future.
He then finds James Lennon guilty of
contempt and fines him $50 and costs, and
closes as follows: "The orders made in
this case as to all the connecting roads
and their employees who have continued in
the service are still in force and it is but
just to all concerned that the court should
say that the laws and orders having now
been fully interpreted and made public any
violation thereot that may hereafter De
made will be dealt with in spirit and
purpose quite different from that which
has controlled us in this case"
Why Lennon Was Convicted.
Lennon was convicted because, in Judge
Kicks language: ale did not quit the
service of the company in fact, and did not
intend to do so, and that his pretense to do
so was a trick to evade the order Of the
court. Being in the service of the COM
pany when he refused to switch the Ann
Arbor car into the train at Alexis ,and hav
ing then full knowledge of the terms and
meaning of the order of the court, that or
der was then in full force and commanded
him to do the very thing he refused to do.
He therefore deliberately and knowingly
violated the mandate of the court and was
guilty of contempt"