The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-10-13
TAFT LABOR'S FRIEND
Rendered Valuable Service to
Railroad Men.
THE T0LED0-ANN ARBoR CASE

Advice Given In Judge Taft's Decision
Adopted by the Railway Brother
hoods-Democratic Politicians Use
Trickery 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-
tons springing from those callings
make the possession by them of 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-
Democratic politicians to influence even
the commonest and most ignorant Of
the unskilled laborers of the country.
One iSrm which this system Of trick
cry most frequently takes is that of
limiting at what terrible things VIII
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 (rue 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
More than all that, Judge Taft's de-
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
Dos 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-
POURED 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 ears
of the road on which the strike pre-
vailed.
This rule was dangerous one. II
probably never should have been
adopted The attempt to enforce it 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.
merce of the entire country.
1t was case of sympathetic strike
And the sympathetic strike stands to
day, from choice, repudiated by all re
sponsible organizations Of laboring PEG
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-
tons was fixed beyond all possible fu
| ture question and some admirable adj
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 if 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 officer
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 II under their or
ganic law make the whole brotherhood
a criminal conspiracy against the laws
of the country"
That the rendering of this decision
by Judge Taft was, then, In result an
enduring service to all railroad men
instead of embodying anything con-
ficting with their rights and privileges
before the law must appear plain to
any ordinary man. If there still re-
manned any doubt on that score it
would be removed by the reflection
that the rules laid down by Judge Taft
in that case are now made part of
the contracts and agreements of all