The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1908-10-16
TAFT LABOR'S FRIEND
Rendered Valuable Service to
Railroad Men.
THE TOLEDO-ANR ARBoR CASE

Advice Given In Judge Taft's Decision
Adopted by the Railway Brother.
hoods-Democratie Politicians Use
Trickery to Deceive the Toilers.
The members Of the various brother
hoods connected with the great rail-
road systems Of the country are gen.
orally regarded as possessing more
than the average degree of intelli.
gence. Their callings and the obllga-
lions springing from those callings
make the possession by them of a high
order OF intelligence indispensable.
Notwithstanding this fact the same
system of absurd falsehood is relied on
to deceive and trick them into with
drawing their support from the Repub-
lican party that Is In general use by
Democratic politicians to influence even
the commonest and most ignorant of
the unskilled laborers OF the country.
One form which this system of trick
cry most frequently takes Is that of
limiting at what terrible things Will
liam II. Taft did against labor organ
lzation and its members while he was
Oh the bench.
The one official act and declaration
OF Judge Taft which is being used In
that way on railroad men Is his deci.
sion In what Is known as the Toledo
Ann Arbor' case. Yet In that case
through his decision Judge Taft rem.
lered an actual, tangible and really
Invaluable service to the cause OF labor
organization. His advice given to labor
/ organizations In that case has been
generally adopted by the various broth.
erhoods and their members. One of
the rules OF great labor organization,
the Brotherhood OF Engineers, which
was the cause Of the trouble (rule ~
has long since been voluntarily drop.
ped as being contrary to the best inter.
ests Of both the public and the organ.
izatIon itself.
More than all that. Judge Tafts de.
cision In the Toledo-Ann Arbor case
contains as good. broad and sound Ia.
Dor doctrine as ever found It's way into
print.
Now. wha. was that Toledo-Ann Ar.
hos case? Most enlightened railroad
men know all about II. Many Of them
particularly the younger generation OF
them. do not.
A strike Of locomotive engineers pre-
vailed on the Toledo. Ann ArbOr and
North Michigan railway. One OF the
rules Of the brotherhood lrule I2) re
puired In substance that when 30 or
dercd By the head Of the organization
the men of the brotherhood or Other
roads should refuse TO handle the cars
OF the road on which the strike pre-,
vailed.
This rule was dangerous one. n
probably never should have been
adopted. The attempt TO enforce Il In
this case brought eight or ten railroads
Into court. They sought protection
against what on Its face was ut least
an unv!se policy for any body OF men
to adopt and involved In operation a
possible stoppage Of the carrying com.
mence Of the entire country.
IL was case Of sympathetic strike.
And the sympathetic strike stands to.
day. FROM choice. repudIated by all re-
sponslble organizations OF laboring peo.
pie and their members.
The principal outcome OF that Ann
Arbor case was that the right OF em.
ployees TO leave their employment
whenever dissatisfied with It's condI.
lions was fixed beyond all possible fu.
ture question and some admirable nd.
vice given to the members OF the or.
ganlzatIon. 20 which they have faith.
fully lived M. both individually and
collectively. since.
I've wish to make plain II we can"
said Judge Taft In his decision. ito the
Intelligent aud generally law abiding
men who compose the Brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers. a. well ~ 10
their usually conservative chief officer.
what We cannot believe they appreci.
ate-that. Notwithstanding their per.
feet organization and their charitable.
temperance aud other elevating and
most useful purposes. the existence and
enforcement Of rule IL under their or.
ganic law make the whole brotherhood
criminal conspiracy against the laws
Of the country"
That the rendering OF this decision
10y Judge Taft was. then. In result m
enduring service to all railroad men
instead OF embodylng anything con.
dieting with their rights and privileges
before the law must appear plain 10
any ordinary man. II there still re-
manned any doubt on that score II
would be removed by the reflection
that the rules laid down by Judge Taft
In that case are now made part 81
the contracts and agreements OF all
great railroad brotherhoods.
President Roosevelt on Tsffs judicial
Record.