Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-04-10
HE RATIFIES RICKS
United States Judge Speers in
"a Labor Case.
RAILWAY RECEIVER CALLED DOWN

And the Law with Its Relation to Rule
No. 12, of the Engineers, Elucidated-
Interesting Views for Employers and
Employed the Rail-A Strike of
Santa Fe Mechanics That the General
Manager Says Has No Reason for Ex-
fstence--More Trouble for the Worlds
Fair-A Big Strike.
MACON, Ga, April 10.-The decision of
Judge Speer, rendered in the case of the
petition of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers to require the receiver of the
Central railroad of Georgia to enter into
a contract with that organization for the
service of its members on that road, is re-
garded by the Brotherhood as signal vic
tory for that organization. The receiver
had refused to make contracts with the
brotherhood, holding that such contracts
We're improper and bad policy Judge
Speer held that they were both proper and
good policy, and directed the receiver TO
enter into a contract with the engineers,
but that such contract should not be
restricted TO members of the brotherhood,
but include all engineers employed.
Decision Approved by the Bar.
The decision has attracted much atten-
tion and discussion among members of the
bar, by whom It is pronounced to be the
most far-reaching, important and satisfac-
tory decision upon the relations of capital
and labor yet rendered. After announcing
his decision Judge Speer discussed at
length the interesting questions involved.
He said: ut will not be safe for those en-
gagged in the maintenance of public order
to ignore the immensely of the changes in
the relations of the employing and the en-
ployed GLASSES occasioIed by the phenom-
email development of commerce and the
prevalence of labor organizations. We are
in this case directly concerned with a cor
poration aud labor organization both en-
gagged in railway transportation
Immensity of Interests Involved.
''In this department Of industry it is re-
ported by the interstate commerce COM
mission that there is invested in the United
States 90. $40, ,275, ,015, or nearly eight times
the entire national debt of the country.
Last year the railroads transported 530, 600
600 passengers, or more than eight times
the entire population of the United States.
The men employed by the railroads num-
Der 7S4, 900, and it is no trif1ing testimony
to the faithfulness and efficiency of this
mighty army of railroad employees that of
the vast population transported under
their ca1e only 293, or less than one two
thousandth of one per cent. lost their
lives 81 is, moreover. true that no opeIa-
tives of railroad more than the locomo-
tive engineers are charged with the preser-
vation of life and property.
Refers to the Boycott Rule.
After stating that members of the
brotherhood were so per cent. of the en-
gineers of the country the judge said that
the most important difference between
the parties to the case was the effect
of rule 12 of the brotherhood (which rule
be quoted-the. celebrated boycott rule
which has been printed in these dis
patchesl The judge then proceeded: In
his testimony Mr.. A. b. Youngson, the
assistant chief engineer. frankly admitted
that the effect of this rule, as applied to
the properties in the hands of the receiver
and the engineers in his employ,
would be as follows: If in the
pursuance of the business of Il
common carrier with which the receiver
is charged it should be necessary to con-
vey over the lines of the Central railroad a
car belonging to a company on which
there was a strike of engineers it would be
the duty OF the brotherhood men in the
employ of the receiver to refuse to haul
the train containing such a car; and if the
officers of the road insisted that the car
should proceed loyalty to the brotherhood
requires that the engineer should also re-
sign his station and abandon his duty.