Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-13

these wrongfully discharged men.
And the sequel proved that the men
were wrongfully discharged, for
when the board of arbitration. I'M
der the Federal Erdman Act, came
10 prss judgment in the premises
they ordered the restoration of
these men, with payment of back
wages.
Does not Governor Brown know
that the executive officers of rail-
way and other labor organizations,
as general rule, only resort to
strikes as a last resort? That they
recognize strikes as costly things,
moi only to the railroads. but to
thCtr members? And that they rec
ognize, also, that the general public,
at times, is involved-made to suffer
inconvenience and damage? And
does he not know that before they
order or concur in a strike, they
must be sure that their cause of
quarrel IS just2 That to succeed
they must be entitled to and have
the sympathy Of the public?
The Governor further said: 1.-THE
management hired other men and
attempted to operate some of the
trains. These men were beset by
lighting partners of the strikers at
the terminal stations and at some
local points, and were violently
beaten or otherwise driven from
service" And he goes on to say
that 100000 citizens of Georgia.
wholly or partly dependent upon
-his road for travel or supplies,
were curbed and hampered by this
strike.
Strikers Not In Disorder.
Now, let us analyze this state
ment Of the Governor. He admits
(Which was the TRUTH that the dis
orders were caused by the members
of the general public, the fighting
partners" Of the striking employees,
and not by the employees them
selves
In point of fact. as the Governor
was compelled thus to admit the
strikers themselves remained aloof,
and did not participate in any of
the disorders. Such disorders as
occurred (and the Governor grossly
exaggerates them) were committed
by the general public, part of those
100000 citizens affected, as the Gov
ernOr says, by this strike
Queer, you say7 Not at all. once
the facts are rightly understood.
These railway employees live along
the line of the Georgia Railroad
and at its terminals. They are a
pretty good lot of citizens, manly,
husky fellows who are engaged in a
pitilessly dangerous vocation. The
percentage of deaths and injuries
which comes to the railroad en-
ployees is pathetically large. No
army with banners loses a greater
percentage of its men in battle than
does this army of railroad en-
ployees annually place upon the
altar of progress and civilization.
And so, when these neighbors and
friends learned through the daily
press of the contemplate tactics Of
the officers of the Georgia Railroad
in UNANIMOUSLY and unjustly dis
charging these faithful servants,
their gorge rose, they got mad
through and through, and they
showed their anger at times in
rather unmistakable manner to the
Hesslan strike breakers imported
from the pig alleys and other vile
purlieus Of the large cities of the
East, to take the jobs of the strik-
ing employees.
Just Human Nature.
Something rough about this? De
plorable? Granted. But It IS shot
through and through with human
nature, human nature as it is. the
Pecksniffs and Chadbrands to the
contrary, Notwithstanding and hu-
man nature as 1t is likely to re-
main for many generations yet to
comet
when the strike was first or
dered, the men in the Joint Termi-
nails yards, 1t is true, went out, too.
under a Misrepresentation, they be-
Heying that the Joint Terminals
Company was one and the same
with the Georgia Railroad Compa-
ny; they believed but one contract
covered the Georgia Railroad and
the Joint Terminals, as both con-
Germs We're apparently run under the
same management.
AS the strike on the Georgia
Railroad progressed, Murdoch and
Gregg discovered that the other big
trunk lines were violating their
contract of neutrality whereby
they had bound themselves in law
and in honor" and of course they
we're properly notified that unless
they complied with such solemn
contract that their men, too, would
be ordered out. 1t was at this juno
rure that the whole strike was
brought to a close, the employees
being amply INDICATED by the find
lrES Of the United States Arbitra-
,ic- Board.
Sees Only Railroads Side.
Why we ask, did not the Gov
sr0o- state these facts? In the
wrongful discharge of the conduc-
tor and flagman by the Georgia
Railroad, which eventually caused
the strike, the Governor sees only
the railroads. side of the controver-
s.. and he utterly ignores the just
position and contentious of thu
striking employees.
We have, with deep sincerity,
asked the question, Was the Gov
ernor actuated by political motives
in this whole affair?
But just here 1t may be as well
to refer to Governor Browns ante
cedents and see If therefrom he has
any undue bias in favor of railroad
companies.
Barring his political jobs, the
only work he has done in the last
% years has been as railroad Of
fetal. Perhaps, ordinarily. that
s.. III I