Omaha daily bee., 1894-01-29
JrpLcLAL cONrRoL oF wAeEs.

btbt'fhH - ~ OH " hp no.
In making an order comforting judi
cial authority Of the new schedule OF
wages fixed by the Union Pacific re-
ceivers and practically giving that
schedule the force OF law, Judge Dundy
has only followed what has OF late mani
tested itself as the trend OF successive
decisions by federal judges in various
parts OF the country. But while there is
precedent for the action that has been
taken, IL is open to dispute how far a
court may rightfully interfere with the
relations existing between the bankrupt
railroads and their employees. II the
courts are to be appealed to in order to
enable these roads TO be conducted with
decreased operating expenses secured by
scaling down wages, against which the
employees are forbidden to rebel under
pain Of penalties for contempt of court,
the bankrupt railroads will be placed in
a more secure position than those which
have been honestly and efficiently con-
Quoted, and which have been able to
maintain their credit and Independent
standing. 1t is even conceivable that
lllS w ltRO III lIlc way VI CDIlbIOllluS
employees might become of 80 great i'm
portance as to work as a premium upon
applications for the appointment of re-
c%eivers.
No court has yet ventured to forbid
the individual from voluntarily leaving
the service Of a railroad so long as his
withdrawal is not calculated to cause
especial injury to the road, but several
orders have recently beer issued deny
ing the right of any two or more to
cease work with a mutual understand
ing or to counsel others to do the anne
The object of these decisions has been to
protect the bankrupt railroads from
strikes and to assist the receivers in
their work of operating the roads under
their control. In this respect Judge
Dundy's order in the case of the Union
Pacific goes as far as the farthest; it
effectually shuts out all active meas
ures to which the employees might resort
to resist the new cut in wages and makes
any strike or preparations for a strike
on their part an occasion for summons
for contempt.
Into the merits of the petition upon
which the order has been granted it is
impossible for any n to go who is not
familiar with the character of tho work
performed and the comparison Of the
new schedule with the old and with those
in force elsewhere. The court seems,
however, to have consulted only the
allegations made in the receivers petit
ton without giving the Interested en-
ployes an opportunity for a hearing.
Judge Kicks before acceding to a similar
petition in the case of the Toledo, st.
Louis & Kansas City railroad the other
day, first gave respectful consideration
to a contemplation filed by the en-
ployes, aud although he signed the order
demanded by the receiver, he specii-
cally recognized the right of both sides
to be heard. 1t is certainly no more
than fair that where q court sets itself
up to determine the question of what
wages are to be paid by a railroad con-
Quoted by its appointees it should regard
the interests not only of the stockholders
and bondholders, but also of the wage
earners. AS the order now stands, the
Union Pacific employees have no other
redress than to petition the court for q
reconsideration of the decree.