The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1909-02-19

their path as smooth and easy as we
can. Any recognition of their dis
tinguished men, any appointment to
office from among their number, is
properly taken as an encouragement
and an appreciation Of their progress
and this just policy shall be pursued.
But it may well admit of doubt
whether, in case Of any race, an APP
pointment of one of their number to
local office in a community In which
the race feeling is so widespread
and acute as to interfere with the
ease and facility with which the local
government business can be done by
the appointee, is Of sufficient benefit
by way Of encouragement to the race
to outweigh the recurrence and IN
crease Of race feeling which such
an appointment is. likely to engen-
der. Therefore, the Executive, in
recognizing the negro race by APP
pointments must exercise careful
discretion not thereby to do it more
harm than good. On the other hand
we must be careful not to encourage
1.-THE mere pretense. of race feeling
manufactured in the interest of IN
dividual political ambition.
If nothing is done to pre-
vent, better feeling be-
tween the negroes and the
whites in the South will continue to
grow, and more and more of the
white people will come to realize that
the future of the South is to be much
benefited by the industrial and in
tellectual progress of the negro. The
exercise Of political franchises by
those of his race who are intelligent
and well-to-do will be acquiesced in,
and the right to vote will be withheld
only from the ignorant and ire
sponsible Of both races.
Labor, and Protection of Employees.
There is one other matter to which
I shall refer. It was made the sub
ject Of great controversy during the
election, and calls for at least pass
ing reference now. My distinguished
predecessor has given much attention
to the cause Of labor, with whose
struggle for better things he has
shown the sincerest sympathy. At
his instance, Congress has passed the
bill fixing the liability of interstate
carriers to their employees for injury
sustained in the course Of employ
ment, abolishing the rule of fellow
servant and the common law rule as
to contributory negligence, and sub
stituting therefor the so-called rule
Of comparative negligence. 1t has
also passed law fixing the compen-
sation of government employees for
injuries sustained in the employ Of
the government through the negli-
gence of the superior.
[ am strongly convinced that
acter. I am strongly convinced that
the Government should make itself
as responsible to employees injured
in its employ as an interstate rail
way corporation is made responsible
by federal law of its employees; and
I shall be glad whenever any addi-
tional reasonable safety device can
be invented to reduce the loss of life
and limb among railway employees,
| to urge Congress to require its adop-
\ ton by interstate railways.
Another labor question has arisen
which has awakened the most excited
discussion That is in respect to the
power of the Federal courts to
issue injunctions in industrial dis
putes. AS to that, my convictions
are fixed. Take away from courts,
if it could be taken away, the power
to issue injunctions in labor disputes
and it would create privileged class
among the laborers and save the law
less among their number from most
needful remedy available to all men
for the protection of their business
against lawless invasion. The pro-
position that business is not pro-
perty or pecuniary right which can,
be protected by equitable injunction
is utterly without foundation in pre-
cedent or reason. The proposition is
usually linked with one to make the
secondary boycott lawful.
The issuing Of a temporary re-
straining order without notice has in
several instances been abused by its
inconsiderate exercise, and to remedy
this, the platform upon which / was
elected recommends the formulation
in statute of the conditions under
which such a temporary restraining
order ought to issue. A statute can
and ought to be framed to embody
the best modern practice, and can
bring the subject so closely to the
attention of the court as to make
abuses of the process unlikely in the
| P..4...n 1901 n., rnnc,nln :H II ~, 1n,n