The news & observer., 1897-02-06
THE LARGEST CIRCULATION NORTH CAROLINA DAILY PAPER


thoughtless lawyer might ask them II
question: that If they answered truth
fully their reply mght jeopardize their
jobs. He then spoke of the engineers
and conductors as the best and brayest
men on earth. He ridiculed the idea of
putting industries that had not received
great and valuable franchises, and where
the public did not come in contact with
the employees. ON par with public car
riers. He argued that it was an induce
ment for an engineer to jump and save
himself when he knew his family could
not get any thing but charity, while an
old blote who bought a % cent ticket
could recover; that loyalty to duty and
heroism did not compare with cold
financial contract. He called attention
TO the number of high priced lawyers who
were defending a positfong that had, ac-
cOINling to their statement, already been
settled by the court.
Mr. Lacy said that America was the
only frst-class country that had not EN-
tirely changed the law or very much
modified it; that such men as Gladstone
had changed it in England in 1880, but
that Germany was the first, having made
the most radical improvements in the
fellow servant law an 1871; that Hoke
Smith, the railroad mans idol (although
most of them did not agree with him
politically. had changed it in Georgia,
even Ben rillman, the man noted for
rubbing railroads. had it changed in the
Constitution of South Carolina last year.
The law originated 20 years ago in Eng
land, when one butcher boy was hurt by
the carelessness of fellow workman,
and when Ut was first aplied to corpora
Iions it was just because so few We're
employed by any concern, every employe
could know every other employe,and a SER
want allowed an incompetent one to work
he shouldered the risk ;but now,when one
end of line was in one end of the coun-
try and the other thousand miles off,
it had out grown its usefulness.
Here he eulogized the s. A. H.; said
it had treated employees in the past better
than any road in the State, and he illus
trated with the Watson case where G. il.
Watson, on December s, 1894, stood at his
post and died as a hero, and the judge
had thrown it out of court, saying the
principle of fellow servant negligence
was too clearly established to allow it.
He spoke strongly of Watson; that he
had left seven children ON the cold
mercies of the world, the youngest a
girl too young to talk-yet, on account Of
negligence of men, he hardly knew, his
wife could recover nothing. The Sea-
board did give her $4,000 as a gratuity.
He wanted her to be able to secure as a
legal right.
Mr.. Lacy said man on a dead head
pass. with conditions relieving the COM
pany of responsibility in case of acci-
dent, could get damages, while the man
who stood at his post, with hand on
brakes, pulling at sand lever with the
other, in the hope that at last that he
might be able to save those in the train,
could not recover at law, if injured. That
these men ran engines on some occasions
over six hundred miles, and that they did
not know their fellow engineers even by
sight, much less the fagmen or switch
men.
Mr.. f. H. Busbee, attorney for the
Southern Railway, came next, he was
as Mr.. Lacy had foreshadowed. in a sar-
castle mood, SO much so, that the chair
man saw fit to interrupt him. He de-
clared that he was taxed to pay Mr.. Lacy
his salary as Labor Commissioner, and
therefore Mr.. Lacy had no right TO say
that he was not being paid.
This speech brought Judge Avery out.
He pushed Mr.. Lacy back, and with a
good deal Of warmth, defended Mr.. Lacy
and clinched every point he had made
This was a strong, able and profound
speech.
Major J. B. Batchelor said he was not
employed by the road, but if they chose
to pay him anything he would accept it.
He argued the side of the railroads. He
said with tenderness that his mind went
back to a boy, his own son, who had serv-
ed with Mr.. Lacy, and his eyes filled with
tears, and the best part of his speech was
eulogizing Ben Lacy. The vote was )
to 2 for a favorable report of the bill.
Mr.. Chaplin, with the radical amend
ment that could not possibly pass, and Mr..
Hare, of Hertford, voted against a favor
able report.
Among the distinguished men present
were Judge Henderson, of Washington,
ID. c., chief counsel of the Southern Rail
way; Judge MacRae, r. o. Burton, and
many members Of the Legislature, and
others. 1t was a very interesting meet
ing, and it is very gratifying that the
committee made a favorable report upon
this important reform legislation.
Il wish" said a gentleman last night,
that you could have heard the speech of
Labor Commissioner Lacy. Tt was ex-
cellent. Judge Whitaker and Chairman
Sutton both complimented it highly, and
so did many others. He was yoicing a
great reform"