The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-04-20
THREE REMARKABLE DECISIONS.
The Courts Lean Heavily Toward Corpo
rate Power.

rate Power.
(Rocky Mountain News)
The recent decisions of the federal
bench in Georgia and at New Orleans
and Toledo, as to the legal obliga-
tlons of employees to their corpora
tion employers, will not be accepted
without confirmation by the supreme
court of the United States, nor, it is
mcuh to be feared, even in that event
without serious trouble. To the lea
ders of organized labor the action of
the courts has the appearance of a
union With the servitude of labor.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers some months ago applied to
Judge Speer of the United States
district court to enforc a contract be-
tween them and the Georgia Central
railroad. They We're told that if they
asked aid of the court they must
now and ever be subordinate to the
law and the finding of the court and
that the courts decision would in
future control their actions after a
full hearing had been given to both
sides. This was the first step in the
SNAASo VI U1UN tIutuIS
against the labor unions of New
Orleans, which was prosecuted under
the antitrust law for participation in
the labor strike of last Novembe err,
Judge Billings affirmed few days
ago that''the United States govern
ment already has jurisdlcto1 over
all labor unions engaged in work
affecting inter state commerce.
The special Specification of that case
is found in the fact that interstate
commerce was only incidentally
affected and that the judgment
claims federal jurisdiction over col
lateral interests of considerable
scope, which il is maintained should
come within state purview If the sub
jects of judicial notice at all. Judge
Billings then forbids warehousemen
and truck-drivers, in the name of
the United States Government, from
stopping work, because they are at
times employed on interstate COM
merce.
The Toledo case. which has excited
SO much surprise and comment.
novel as it is and far-reaching in its
possible consequence. does not go as
far as Judge Billings goes. for in the
Toledo case the striking workmen
were directly engaged in interstate
commerce. Judge Ricks issued an
injunction commanding the engi-
neers and tiremen on the complain
ing road to refrain from refusing
to handle Ann Arbor freight. Sew
eral engineers aud fremen quit
work, assumidg they had a right to
do so, since there was no contract
obliging them to work for any stated
time and since the company had al
ways claimed the right to discharge
its men without moments notice
and had acted on it. There-upon
Judge Ricks summond them before
him and held them to answer for
contempt OF court. He held that
railway employees are not free to
leave their employment at will, but
can do SO only after having given due
notice. He exclaimed the right, by
injunction, TO order employees to do a
specific work for railroad corpora
ton and denied them the right to
end their employment at will.
These federal decisions involve a
revolution In judicial rulings, which
have never been authorized by any
Legislative act and which must be
verified by the highest authority be-
fore they will commend the respect
even of persons not thereby affected.
Should the United States supreme
court go to the same length in dis
crinating against the right of work
ingmen and In favor of the claims of
corporations, it will remain for the
former to appeal to the ballot and
with such system and effect as have
never yet been expressed in the po-
itical action of the wage-earners of
| this free country.