The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-07

receive good wages and a majority OF
them certainly do not appreciate any IN
reference or meddling from outsiders.
The editor of that journal, you see, Is
not only willing to publish me to the
world as making charges on hearsay evil
| dencc and that have no existence, out
proposes an insult, in the insinuation that
"A discussion of a public question auect-
ing directly the welfare Of thousands or
people, and in it's tendencies the rights of
very important clement Of our country
is unappreciated intermeddling.
/ dia MOI charge that this system IS COM
pulsory on "hearsay evidence" l did it
on the authority of DIR. tombstone OF the
University of Pennsylvania. In an article
on railway relief departments in bulletin
Of the department of labor No S. page 43
he says: Membership was made volun
tary for all employees in service of the
company July /, 1896 and obligatory upon
all persons entering the service or receiY-
ing promotion in the service subsequent
to that time" He is speaking of the
Plant system, and if this is not clear
order to join the association l confess my
mental incapacity TO understand Ian
guage. Doubtless IAN Employee" IL he
be more than an ornamental member of
the department, has some kind OF con-
tract, which would show, if there is any
condition of employment or promotion by
these companies based on his member
ship. / challenge a publication of that
paper. If its clear Interpretation does not
bear out the charge of compulsion, will
gladly withdraw my criticism.
AS to the other count, that a member
agrees to relieve the company of legal
claims for damages on account of injury
or death in consideration of its patronage
of the department. 1 maintain my crit-
cism The inspiring cause of this bene-
faction is to relieve the Plants of liability
for damages and they make money for
their road by this provision. OF course l
know that the laws of the grand old state
Of Georgia would not allow such a con-
tract to stand. She is not in the clutches
Of the corporations as yet, and hope her
citizens will have the foresight and man
illness never to put her there. The rellet
department, however, goes just as tar IN
that direction as it possibly can. In the
majority of cases it will operate as viz
tual suspension of this right. 1t is mere
quibbling 10 deny this proposition. There
is a case in this mornings News, which
illustrates the operation of TINS feature OF
the question. A man was injured IN the
shop of a railway company, not as yet in
the philanthropic embrace of a railway
relief department. He sues and his peers
saw he was damaged to the amount of
$500 If this man was a member OF the
Plant system in the average class, ana
was disabled three months he would re-
ceive Sl20. BY this compulsory peneVo-
Ience the road would save IN TINS case
$3.50 The same principle is involved IN
the ministerial tickets permitting preach
ers to travel at the rate of two cents per
mile but recurring them to sign away
their claims to loss of baggage or INJURY
of persons This agreement is just as IL
legal as would be the contract or the re-
lief and hospital.
Now, as to the Waycross editors charge
of meddling l will only ask you to quote
what l wrote him as to the reason refer
red to the subject What follows is from
my rejected manuscript:
Now. allow me, Mr.. Editor, to add few
words as to the reason / criticised TINS
system at all 1 am only interested IN
This matter as a lover of my kind and
country. / have given some study to po-
Iitical economy and feel a lively interest
in the labor question. 1 try to study the
drift of movements. I think there is a
danger in this apparently inno-
cent and benevolent scheme. l see in 1t
an encroachment on the rights of labor
If an employer has right to tell an en-
Move how to spend one-tenth of his wages,
has he nor the right to spend the other
nine-tenths for him. If he has the right
10 saw to him. you need to look out for a
rainy day, and you cannot work for me
unless YOU do so, and in just the way l
say has he not the right to say you ought
ito cultivate your mind. / have provid-
much: / will take out so much of your
wages to pay for them; if you are unwill-
| ing you need not work for me, and at any
| rate you need expect no promotion from
me- This system, if popular, will be ex-
| tended to other railroad companies, till at
| length this whole line of business will be
| Handicapped, with these conditions of en-
| ployment Others eXactions will be placed
| upon it. and our employed class, which
| ought to be a self-reliant, independent,
! forceful element of our body polite, will
! be simply the wards of their bosses. They
| time to speak out is in the beginning of
| an evil tendency. / can have but feeling
of pity for the laboring man, who under
! the allurements of "a comfortable bed
and glowing under 1.-The agreeable novelty
| of finding himself as tendery treated as
if he were a millionaire" gives his unqual-
| flied endorsement TO a movement based on
| the abneSation by the laborer of his right
to spend the results of his labor according
to his own will upon the enforced surren-
der of his inherent right to demand labor
| conditioned only upon the earnest, honest
| performance of the work he has engaged
to do. While "his sudden and violent at
| tack az the physical grip he yielded to
"the careful attention of trained nurses
| and the treatment such as l could not
have received even at my own home"
am afraid he lost that moral grip on true
manliness, which is unwilling to exchange
self-reliance and the independence of fell
low laborers for the neo-slavery that the
change in our Industrial life seems to be
forging for our common people. Mr.. Edi.
tor, abuse me as you please but write me
down as preferring physical Inconvenience
with Independent manhood, to the most
luxurious slavery the world has to give.
A. NJ. Williams.
Savannah, March 6.
THE NEW POMPEII.