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

contract was virtually entered into by
| the owners Of these properties and the
State whereby the former bound them
| selves to perform the duties Of common
carriers for the public, and the latter
bound herself to protect them In the
peaceable performance Of those duties.
| Not one word was said in those char
| tiers 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
| therefore, as either of those companies
attempts to perform the duty II as
sumed the State is under obligation 10
use extreme force. if necessary, to pro-
tect it in thus serving the public
Labor Trust" Scored.
Furthermore, in the amended Railroad
Commission law, as embodied in Sec
| lions 1868 and 1864 Of the Code Of GeOr-
gla, 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, "tc
order and compel the operation of suf-
hcient and proper passenger service
when in its judgment inefficient or in
sufficient service is being rendered the
public or any community"
Again, IL has been very apuy said by
one writing on the status OF the State
in relationship to the common carriers!
THE power to fix rates and charges
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
travel and secure public convenience Is
matter of public concern and is alb
solutely essential to government"
Hence, II necessarily follows that any
person or combination OF persons who
obstructs, intimidates or otherwise pre-
vents the operation Of the common car
riers strikes blow at the interests OF
the public and puts his or their viii 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
" the Georgia Railroad put themselves
IN 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-
| "ial privileges TO none, and arrogated
| to themselves the exercise OF special
! privileges for settling their quarrels with
| their respective arrangements at the ex-
pense and serious inconvenience Of the
! pubic, ana in a manner which embodied
| defiance of the law which requires all
dwellerS in the State having differences
which they can not peaceably adjust
70 submit them to the States courts.
Again, their acts in leaving the ser
vice of the employing companies, and
| n virtually encouraging the formation
OF mobs to lntimidate and personally as
aut 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
was logically a claim which can be ex-
| PRESSED in these words: This is your
property but 1t is my job on It. ! anC
| my partners, the union, will defend our
nutual rights to exclusive OWNERSHIP
N position which W. bp1
property. We will determine for yoy
| whom You shall hire and whom you shall
| not hire, and what wages you shall pay
! While it is true that we have not in.
! vested dollar in this public service
| l.lty and you have invested million,
| in II, 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 ant
! sublectlng the public to serious incon.
! Yenience and loss, even against YOU. Or
! your property chartered TO serve the
pubic We are supreme over you, su,
| preme over the public. supreme Over
| the law. The union label carries more
authority, than does your Great Sea
Of State"
Labor Exacts Tax"
In considering the status of the publ,
service corporations and their employees
there is one factor which can not b,
! ignored. This is embodied in the follow.
ing words found in the last annual re-
! uort Of the Railroad Commission o.
In 1908. the railroads operating ii
| beorSla employed in Georgia, 81 500 per
| sons; in 1912, they employed &c. SOL
| The wages paid these 1851 employ.
ees III 1912 exceeded the wages paid tho
| S4,SOS employees in 1908, S5.77I .1O4 Q:
! more than In 1908. This however. was
! TO larger number of employees The
| Individual wage scales show that hat
the number of employees for 1912 beer
kept the same as in 1908. they are being
paid S3,66S, 1881 more than in 1908.
| In other words, the "a 500 employ.
} ees IN 1908 received So SOS, 1876 q more IL
| lSl1. which is an average increase tC
| each railroad employee in Georgia ir
1912 over 1908 of more than sos fel
annum.
The Commission has taken ten trunl
line roads in the State, to dit: the
| southern, the Seaboard the Atlantic
| Coast Line. the Louisville and Nash.
| VILE the Georgia, Southern and Florida
| The Georgia Railroad, the Atlanta and
! West Point, the Atlanta, BIRMINGHAM
and Atlantic, the Central of Georgia
and the Western and Atlantic and theiI
| wage accounts show that they paid in
| 1917 to the same number of employees
| as in 1905. in wages. $3,604,794 90 more
| than in 1908
The Individual wage scale further
/ shows that by far the largest increase il
wages has been paid to employees be-
| longing to labor unions. such as engi-
etc
In other words, while the average in.
| crease TO each OF the "a 500 employees IN
! 1912 over 1908 was Sl05.00 per annum
! the average increase TO each member OF
a labor union was larger by far, in some
instances, doubtless approximating $500
| or more.
Holds Unions Menace.
| Hence, we are brought race to face
| with the fact that these unions. or com.
| binauons Of employees. not only on pub
| lie service corporations but. as is gen.
orally known. on practically all other
| corporations have forced their wages UT
| above those received by workmen in AT
| other departments of life who have not
formed these aggressively militant COM
bnatons. 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 thu general
classes in the state
II 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 by
winking at their violations OF 1t TO hold
up the general public and rob il of the
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