Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-25

1
| peaceable performance of those duties
/ Not one word was said in those char
| ters giving the owners the right to sus-
| pend operation of the roads to the detri-
| ment of public convenience, or giving
] the employees the same right. So long,
4 therefore, as either OF those companies
| attempts to perform the duty II as
sumed the State is under obligation to
| tect it in thus serving the public.
! Labor Trust" Scored.
| Furthermore, in the amended Railroad
| Commission law, as embodied in Sec
| tions 1868 and 1854 of the Code of Gsor-
gia, the Railroad Commission is author
/ lied to require all common carriers and
| other public service companies under
| its supervision Ito establish and MAIN
/ tain such public service and facilities as
may be reasonable and just" Also. TO
| order and compel the operation of suf-
! Ticient and proper passenger service
when in its Judgment inefficient or in
/ sufficient service is being rendered the
public or any community"
Again. it has been very aptly said by
| one writing on the status of the State
in relationship to the common carriers
THE power to fix rates and charges
| for transportation is an attribute of Sow
| ereignty, because in operating a public
| highway a transportation corporation
| exercises the power of a sovereign. This
power over public highways constructed
| for public use to accommodate public
| a matter of public concern and is alb
| solutely essential to government"
| Hence, 1t necessarily follows that any
| person or combination of persons who
| obstructs, intimidates or otherwise pre-
vents the operation of the common car
| riers strikes a blow at the interests of
| the public and puts his or their will in
| conflict with the mandate of the SOW
ereign.
| Augusta Strike Rebellion.
| There is no escape, therefore, from
| the conclusion that those employees of
| the street car company in Augusta and
of the Georgia Railroad put themselves
in a state of open rebellion to the laws
| of Georgia. They ignored the cardinal
| tenet of republican government viz
There shall be equal rights to all, spe-
to themselves the exercise of special
| privileges for settling their quarrels with
their respective arrangements at the ex-
pense and serious Inconvenience Of the
| defiance Of the law which requires all
jewellers in the State having differences
which they can not peaceably adjust
to submit them to the States courts.
Again, their acts in leaving the ser
vice of the employing companies, and
| in virtually encouraging the formation
of mobs to intimidate and personally as
sault those citizens whom these COM
mon carriers induced to take the places
| they had vacated, that the carriers
might obey the law which created them,
WIS logically a claim which can be ex-
pressed In these words: This is your
property, but it is my job on it. / and
my partners, the union, will defend our
mutual rights to exclusive ownership
Of the position which we hold on your
property. We VIII determine for you
whom you shall hire and whom you shall
not hire, and what wages you shall pay.
While 1t is true that we have not in
vested a dollar in this public service
UNITY and you have invested millions
in 1t, yet we have vested rights in these
positions, rights which we have acquired
| by usurpation, and we will hold them,
while defying the laws Of the State and
sublectlng the public to serious incon-
venience and loss, even against you. on
your property chartered to serve the
| pubic we are supreme over you SUI
preme over the public, supreme over
| the law. The union label carries more
authority, than does your Great Seal
Labor Exacts Tax"
In considering the status OF the public
service corporations and their EMPLOYEES.
there is one factor which can not be
ignored. This is embodied in the follow
mort OF the Railroad Commission of
Georgia:
In 1908, the railroads operating in
Georgia employed in Georgia, "a, SO9 per-
sons: in 1912, they employed 80 SOL.
THE wages paid these 80 ,691 emplov-
ees III 1919 exceeded the wages paid the
S4,S09 employees in 1908, 1911 ,iO4 90
more than IN 1908. This, however, was
to a larger number Of employees. The
Individual wage scales show that had
the number of employees for 1912 been
kept the same as in 1908, they are being
paid SS,66S, 1851 more than in 1908
ees in 1908 received $3.66s, 725. 81 more in
1872. which is an average increase to
each railroad employee in Georgia in
1912 over 1908 of more than sos fer
THE Commission has taken ten trunk
line roads in the State, to dit: the
Southern, the Seaboard. the Atlantic
Coast Line. the Louisville and Nash
the Georgia Railroad, the Atlanta and
West Point, the Atlanta, Birmingham
and Atlantic, the Central of Georgia
and the Western and Atlantic and their
t wage ACCOUNTS show that they paid in
l9lz. TO the same number of employees
as in 1908, in wages. $2,604, 1874. so more
than in 1908.
"The individual wage scale further
SHOWS that BY far the largest increase in
wages has been paid to employees be-
longing TO labor unions, such as engi-
neers, fremen, conductors, train hands.
etc"
In other words, while the average in
crease to each of the 34.S09 employees in
1912 over 1908 was S105.00 per annurn,
the average increase to each member of
labor union was larger by far, in some
liIStdHCes, uOuDtlesS Appr0Almating $500
or more
Holds Unions Menace.
Hence, we are brought face to face
with the fact that these unions, or com
binations of employees. not only on pub
lie service corporations but, as is gen
orally known on practically all other
corporations have forced their wages up
above those received by workmen in all
other departments of life who have not
formed these aggressively militant com
blnations. Tens Of thousands of other
citizens who are not in these unions,
therefore, are confronted by the fact
that the unions are levying a tax upon
them to the extent that they are forcing
from the employers an inequitable pro-
portion Of the wages paid to tbs general
classes in the State.
If the State not only authorizes these
unions, or combinations, to exact higher
wages than others receive, but also per
mits them by authority of law or bv
winking at their violations of IL to hold
up the general public and rob It Of the
facilities for transportation, then she can
not claim the right to protect any farmer
or other person employing labor against
his employees who might strike and
proclaim to him that nobody else should
work his crop for him; that If he hired
any other employees they would burn
his dwelling and barns, and, If needs
be, kill him and his new employees to es-
tablish their supremacy over him and
his property
And if the State says to owners of
railroads, factories, etc, you shall nav
tax on this property which you have
created or bought, but another class
shall control 1t. l hold you responsible
for keeping 1t in condition for safely
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