The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-10-08
TAFT LABOR'S FRIEND
Rendered Valuable Service to
Railroad Men.
THE TOLED0-ANN ARBOR CASE

Advice Given In Judge Taft's Decision
Adopted by the Railway Brother
hoods-Democratic Politicians Use
Triekery to Deceive the ToiIers.
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 obliga-
tions 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 H. Taft did against labor organ
ization and its members while he was
on 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
dered 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 12)
has long since been voluntarily drop
ped as being contrary to the best inter-
ests Of both the public and the organ
ization itself.
cision in the ToledO-Ann Arbor case
contains as good, broad and sound la
Dor doctrine as ever found its way into
print.
Now, what was that Toledo Ann Ar
bos case? Most enlightened railroad
men know all about it. 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 rule 12) re-
quired In substance that when so or
dered 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. It
probably never should have been
adopted. The attempt to enforce 1t in
this case brought eight or ten railroads
into court They sought protection
against what on its face was at least
an unwise policy for any body Of men
to adopt and involved in operation a
possible stoppage Of the carrying COM
1t was case of sympathetic strike.
And the sympathetic strike stands to-
day, from choice, repudiated by all re-
sponsible organizations of laboring peo-
pie and their members.
The principal outcome of that Ann
Arbor case was that the right of en-
ployees to leave their employment
whenever dissatisfied with Its condI-
tions was fixed beyond all possible fu-
ture question and some admirable ad-
vice given to the members of the or
ganization. to which they have faith.
fully lived up, both individually and
collectively, since.
1--WE wish to make plain II we can,"
said Judge Taft In his decision, ito the
intelligent and generally law abiding
men who compose the Brotherhood Of
Locomotive Engineers, as well as to
their usually conservative chief oflcer,
what we cannot believe they appreci-
ate-that, Notwithstanding their per-
feet organization and their charitable,
temperance and other elevating and
most useful purposes, the existence and
enforcement of rule IL under their or
ganic law make the whole brotherhood
q criminal conspiracy against the laws
Of the country"
That the rendering Of this decision