The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-12-09
RALEIGH UNIONS
FAILED To TUMBLE
Salisbury, Man Against
Rate Regulation.
D0WNED BY FAIS0N
Mr.. Hawkins, OF the Central Fedora
tiOn Of Labor, Of Salisbury, Hav.
ing Failed at PitIsburg. Seek
ing Aid in State. Four Repre-
senting Twelve Hundred.

At a special meeting of the Central
Labor Union in Raleigh on Wednes-
day night a Mr.. Hawkins. of Sails
bury. delivered an address against the
proposed regulation of railroad rates
by the government. He predicted dire
evils in the way of reduced wages for
engineers conductors. and other rail-
, wa employees in the event that bill
became n law and urged the Central
Labor Union to pass resolutions
against any such legislation.
When he had finished speaking Mr..
w. r.. Faison. OF Raleigh, President
of the State Federation of Labor, re-
plied to him. and what he did for the
Salisbury orator was a plenty" He
Knocked his sophistry into smither
Gems, and showed that there was not
tho remotcst danger that the passage
of tho bin would reduce wages.
The debate between Mr.. Hawkins
and Mr., Faison has created much in
terest \ reporter called 20 see Mr..
Faison and asked for his views as to
the legislation. and Mr.. Faison said:
Il most deeply regret the fact that
certain organized labor bodies in this
State have adopted resolutions in OPP
position 10 the Townsend bill,
now pending in Congress, and the more
so. because ! feel sure that the action
was taken hastily and under pressure.
and without full and careful consid-
Grafton of the matter. / do not be-
lievc l would be far from the fact t.
state than an investigation would show
that but one side of the question was
presented.
have no official information of res
olutiens of this character being adopt
ed. except by the Central Body of
i
that the action was taken with not
exceeding fou:' members present. anu
without discussion. The same resolu-
tionS adopted by the Salisbury Central
were introduced IN tho American Fed
Grafton of Labor at it's convention in
Pittsburg, Pa. last month and that
convention. representing nearly 3,000,-
900 organized sworkingmen. with the
National and International officers of
the great labor organizations present,
comprising as they unquestionably do
the great labor leaders of this country.
by unanimous vote. and without any
debate tabled these resolutions. 1t
would have served as guide, at
part OF the largest and most repre-
sentative labor BODY in the world
would have served as a guide, OF
least. to it's local subordinate bodies.
1T seems however. that the Central
of Salisbury, after sending a represen-
tative to Pittsburg and failing to Sc
cure the abortion of its resolutions,
has decided to send a representative
to all tho local and Central bodies in
North Carolina to urge the adoption of
these same resolutions. To. say the
least. this is very expensive propo-
sition. and the hundreds of dollars
necessary for such a campaign could
be used to more advantage in perfect
ing their organization and diSseminat-
ing the pure doctrines of trades union
ism.
II do not caro- 10 go into a discus
sion of the merits OF the Esch Town
Sned bill. but the argument used by
Interested parties for the purpose of
mislcadin~ the working classes, and
especially railroad employees, viz, that
it's passage would result in a decrease
of wages, is so nlanfestly absurd that
I am indeed surprised that it should
have received any consideration at
the hands of the workers. A fair and
equitable v'a~e will be q most impor-
tant consideration in the adjustment
of rates by the Com mission, unless we
are to argue from the standpoint of a
Vcnal and corrupt commission, and
even then the railroads have the right
of appeal to the courts. The truth is.
organized labor has largely awakened
to the fact that there are two parties
to a wage scale and that the wage
Garner has an equal right to fix the
price at which he will sell his labor as
the employer the price he Will pay.
And until the dawn of the millennium