The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-04-11
VICTORY FOR LABOR.
BY the Decision I'm the Union Pacific
Case.

OMAHA. April 5.-organized labor to-
day won its greatest victory when. in the
United States circuit court. Judge Henry
c. Caldwell handed down his decision in
the Union Pacific schedule contest. In
the long legal opinion this declaration of
the court stands out most prominently:
"A corporation is organized capital; II
is capital consisting Of money and prop
erty. Organized labor is organized CAPT
tai; ii is capital consisting of brains and
muscle. What it is lawful for one to
do it is lawful for the other to do. IL is
lawful for the stockholders and officers
of a corporation to associate and confer
together for the purpose OF reducing the
wages of its employees. or OF devising
some other means Of making their in
vestments profitable. It is equally law
full for organized labor to associate, con-
suit and confer with a view to maintain
or increase wages. Both act from the
prompting of enlightened selhshhess and
the action of both is lawful when no il
legal or criminal means are used or
threatened.
The court room was thronged with
railroad men at the hour set for the
rendering OF the decision. There were
Few DIEnIllHdfleS before JuQke tdlQNCll
began the reading. AS the opinion pro-
ceeded the faces Of the Union Pacific
officials heightened. while those of the
employees grew roseate as they saw the
drift of the decision and began to re-
aliZe what a remarkable victory was in
store for them. At its conclusion the 81
lence became oppressive. and until Mar
shall White declared a recess not a move
ment was made on the part of the spec
tators to break the spell. 1t was
dramatic ending 10 a most dramatic
case.
There was not a phrase. not even a
word Of legal verbiage about the impor-
tant document, for" Judge Caldwell
declared, Il wanted il TO be so plain that
even the lowliest man on the road could
understand every word of it,
When Judge Caldwell left the bench
the leading men of both interests shook
hands with the fearless jurist, Mr..
Vrooman thanking the court for its de-
cision.
mo thanks are necessary. Mt Vroo-
man." responded Judge Caldwell. when
a court does it's duty clearly, without
fear or favor, it is not deserving of any
thanks. The path was well blaZed. All
the court had to do was to reiterate the
principles down from the beginning. and
that it has sought TO do in its feeble
way
Just before court adjourned Judge
CAN'T of North Platte. attorney for the
men, asked the court to fix the expense
account of the men in view of the fact
that there was differences of opinion
Instantly Judge Caldwell responded ::
You ought to be ashamed of yourself
TO ask the court to participate in this
matter. There is General Manager Dick
inson; arrange with him as to expenses
which will cover the cost of average liv-
ing in Omaha, which can be easily as
certained."
General Manager Dickinson nodded his
approval
AS to the far-reaching character of the
opinion, the utterance of Attorney
George L. Hodges, who represented the
engineers, is most timely: 1T is the
greatest judgment in yindication Of the
rights of men pronounced by any court
since the historic judgment of Lord
Mansfield in the Somerset case " The
opinion continues in force the present
rules and regulations governing the
road, except where the different organ
izatiOns voluntarily agreed TO modify
the overtime" features of the present
schedules. It modifies the orders Of
Judges Dundy, Riner and Hallett made
in the wage cases. the former ordering
the receivers to put the new rules and
regulations in force, the latter restrain
ing the enforcement of the new schedules
pending a hearing between the receivers
and the men. II lays down stringent
rules as 10 intoxication on the part of
the employees. who are held 10 be serv-
ants of the court. And it lays down new
principles of arbitration between the
contending forces of wages and capital,
being in direct opposition to the opinion
of Judge Jenkins In the Union Pacific
wage matter. Scholarly and dignified,
it exhausts the questions which have
been bitterly fought in many instances
since the century began and is a COM
plete victory for the rights of the toiling
masses.