The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-04-03
SOP TO TIE LABORING MEN.

It would be presumption for a
layman to critlcise a man who
has occupied the highest place
upon the bench Of this State, and
ordinarily we would not attempt
to do so, but the recent speeches
reported in The State as having
been made by Judge Jones to the
laborers in the cotton mills, are
so fagrantly the utterances OF
the widest dreamer, and so near
in accord with the principles OF
socialism that we must conclude
he was either trying to presume
on what he foolishly believed
was the ignorance OF the labor
ing people to catch their support,
or be has ideas of government
which are not only at variance
with the principles Of free gov
ernment, but if put into force
would result in great injustice to
those employing labor and to the
laborer too. He is reported to
have said in his Spartanburg
speech, in discussing the rights
Of the working man, IF he
should have a sympathetic legis-
lature he would put upon the
statute books, as governor, an
employers liability law, under
which it would not be necessary
for working man who lost a
limb or was otherwise disabled
in his work to sue his employer
for damages. By the provisions
of the law which he proposes the
employer would have to compen-
safe the workingman without a
law suit.
Judge Jones' whole speech is
not reported oy The Columbia
State which is a strong advocate
of "anybody-to- beat-Blease," )" but
that newspaper being at this time
especially friendly to Judge
Jones, we presume it would not
misquote him, and therefore, we
assume it has quoted the canol-
date correctly. Is there a man in
this State so ignorant as to be
caught with such a proposition:
we cannot believe that the most
illiterate mill worker would sWal.
low such rot, because the idea
has been born and bred into him
that the courts are here to settle
disputes between men, and there
is no Governor or a legislature
which can keep the citizens of
the State out Of the courts to
settle their differences. The idea
of a candidate for a high Office
endeayoring to appeal for sup
port on the forty acres
mule" platform; it was some such
preposterous proposition the rad
ical aliens preached to the neg
roes in the early days of radical
ism, and now comes man who
stood at the head Of the Bar in
this State running for an Office
throwing out such impossible
bait to white voters. Judge Jones
might as we'll advocate that if he
is elected governor he will make
the employers of labor divide
their profits equally with those
who labor for them, should an
employer refuse, he as governor
would confscate his property pat
the laborer in the Office, and the
owner at the looms. He might as
well tell the laboring men if they
elect him governor he would
force the mills to give to the Ia
borers a picnic every Saturday
with out reduction of pay for the
time lost.
Judge Jones was a member Of
the legislature, but at that time
it did not occur to him to put for.
ward such collective ownership"
legislation, nor has he ever sug-
gested such an idea to that body
at any time since he left it to go
upon the bench, but Low that he
is candidate for governor he
gets among the laboring element.
claims to be one of them, and is
very solicitious for their welfare
by promising them the impos-
sible. The working men read,
and are posted as a rule: they
have the best information which
can be obtained to further theia.
interests, and when the dlstin-
guished candidate let slip from
him such a doctrine we have no
doubt they asked each other
what does he take US for?:"
Jtdge Jones was on the su-
preme bench for a number Of
years, We should be glad for him
or any one of his partizan news
papers even one so extreme as
The State to point out any decis-
ion the Judge has rendered, and
we have no doubt there have
been many cases where laboring
mems interests were involved,
that in all of the opinions he de.
hvered or concurred in where he
even hinted as favoring such a
doctrine-to compensate tn e
working man without a law suit.