The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-02-13
AS TO LABOR CONTRACTS.

Veterans and tho physician shall be
tnrco dollars each for each DAYS scr-
vice.
AS TO LABOR CONTRACTS.
Mr.. Thurmond's bal to amend the
law so ~ to increase tho penalty for
INC violation Of agricultural labor con
tracts, giving jurisdiction to the courts
ot Sessions, was then taken up. MIR.
lhurmond said that at present the
penalty was too light. He thought if
laborers loft their employers in busy
seasons they should be punished. III
lew OF them wore put on the chain
gang 1T would have II good ctfect. He
sad tho present penalty Of 80 days had
no effect.
Mr.. Brcazenlc Thought that tho
passage Of this bill would mean giving
the strong po~o to opprcss tho weak.
MIR. Manning opposed tho bill on the
ground that transferring the jurisdc-
tion would cost too much.
Mr.. Lotion remarked that tho COM
mittee had unanimously reported the
bill unfavOrably..
Mr.. Brenzcalo moved to indefinitely
postpone tho bill, and Mr.. Thurmond
demanded tho roll call on this. The
bill was indefinitely postponed by Il
vote of "A to IS.
THE RAILROADS AGAIN.
Mr. Itast's bill to regulate tho hours
OF labor OF trainmen on railroads in
this STATIC and to provide for the viola
tlOn OF the same was called up, and Mr..
Manning wanted it 70 20 Ovcr, saying
he thought they had enough railroad
talk tho preceding day to last for u
spell. Ho said tho railroad men had
been before tho committee, and tho
bill would do no good.
Mr.. Itast said this was Il copy Of tho
law in Georgia. Railroad mon had
asked him to Introduce such amcasuro.
These men needed tho protection
badly. He was not in favor Of opprcs-
sing the railroads. Somc railroad
employees were anxious for this bill.
They were badly oppressed ard afraid
to say anything, because they were
afraid OF being blacklistcd by the
bosses. He know Of instances where
train dispatchcrs had been kept On
duty for two days.
Judge Townsend said tho committee
had decided to lot the house discuss
tho bill, though it's sentiment was
against the bill; .henco they had malo
no report.
They would prejudice the very class
they wore deslrous of protecting; en-
ployes were paid by the hour So far
easy to SEQ that the roads had ovcry-
thing at stake in seeing that the men
wore wide awake and attending to
duty. He thought they wero going
too far lcgislating to become special
guardians of every class Of citizens
Soon they would begin TO take care O.
| the lawyers even.
Mr.. Magill said he had never voted
for any legislation that would be op
pressive to any railroad corporations
This bill will result in great benefit Il
any oppressed class OF people. ltm,
plOycs Of the roads dared not como tt
| the Legislative committee and say any
| thing. Conductors and trainmcn had
come to him and begged him to in,
| trOduce such q measure. The employees
had u right to come up and domand
protection. They did not ask South
Carolina to act as their guardian. a
man must have some rest in tho course
Of "a hours.
Judge Townsend Would you vote
10 tOregulate the hours OF farm laborcrs
Mr.. Tatum said he too had been APP
preached by employees Of the roa'ls.
If the roads didn't object to the bill
why did they have their counsel before
the committee ?
Judge TOwnsonu-l movc to rcCorn-
nit the bill to the committee to give
the employees chance to appear.
DR.. Wycho said If railroad mon were
80 oppressed, why didn't they quit
work on tho farms. He called this
medicine legislation. They had toe
much law in this State. llo thought
one General Assembly in four years
sufficient. Even the Supreme Court
didn't know what the law was. The
great trouble was that tho State had
too much law, and too little obedience
to law. He would liko TO take care of
and give sympathy to every hard
worked man. He pictured the over
worked doctor, up for ~ hours without
hOpe OF pay. His sarcasm was refined
and to the point. He doubted If they
would accomplish what they wanted.
Mr.. Weston thought that it would
result in salary reduction. 1t was u
contract entered into by tho men them
solves.
Mr.. Bunch hoped that the bill would
be killed. He did not want any mans
privileges to be abridged. If he
wanted to work rs hours it was no
body's business. 1t seemed to him
they were going into radical logisla
tion.
Judge Townsend wanted to know. IL
case the law passed, who was going tt
report the roads for violating the law
He withdrew his motion to rocommit
Mr.. Bowman said he wantod tho
travelling public protected.
Mr.. Kast replied to some OF thu
arguments made and then tho vot
was taken, the House refusing Il
strike out the onacting words by /
vote OF 35 to 4G. Tho bill was thcr
ordered to third reading in this
shape:
Section I. That from and after th
passage OF this act it shall be unlaw
full for any railroad doing business il
this State to require or permit it.
employees, who arc engaged in th'
business Of operating its trains over it,
roads, to mako runs Of over thirtccr
hours, or to mako runs aggrcgatins
more than thirteen hours in twenty
four hours, except whom such train il
detained by reason OF casualty, o'
other cause, from reaching its destina
tion on schedule time, and no trainman
aftor having been on q run or runs fol
as much as thirteen hours out OF
twcnty-four hours, shall be required tc