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 to
| use extreme force, II necessary, to pro-
tect It in thus serving the public.
Labor Trust" Scored.
Furthermore, in the amended Railroad
| Commission law, as embodied in Sec
| tons 1858 and 1854 of the Code of Geor-
ga, 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, ito
| order and compel the operation of SUI
tcient and proper passenger service
when in its judgment inefficient or in
| sufficient service is being rendered the
public or any community"
| Again, II has been very APPLY said by
! one writing on the status of the State
| IN relationship to the common carriers:
THE power to fix rates and charges
a
ereignty, because in operating a public
! highway a transportation corporation
| exercises the power of sovereign. This
power over public highways constructed
for public use to accommodate public
travel and secure public convenience is
a matter Of public concern and Is alb
| solutely essential to government"
Hence, il 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 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 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-
cial 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
public, and IN manner which embodied
| defiance of the law which requires all
dwellers 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
n 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,
was logically a claim which can be ex-
pressed in these words: This is your
property but 1t is my job on IT, l and
my partners, the union, will defend our
9utual rights to exclusive ownership
Il 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 II is true that we have not in
vested dollar in this public service
unity and you have invested millions
IN II, yet we have vested rights in these
positions, rights which we have acquired
by usurpation. and we will hold them
while defyng the laws Of the State and
subJecting the public to serious incon-
Venience and loss, even against you. on
your property chartered to serve the
public 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 Exaets Tax"
In considering the status Of the public
service corporations and their employees,
there is one factor which can not be
gnored. This Is embodied in the follow
ing words found in the last annual re-
9ort OF the Railroad Commission Of
Georgia:
| In 1908, the railroads operating in
Georgia employed in Georgia, S4.S09 per
sons; in 1912, they employed 1861
The wages paid these SO 69l employ
ees u lSl2 exceeded the wages paid the
S4S0s employees in 1908, S5,T71 .1O4 %
more than in 1905 This however was
to 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, 1881 more than in 1904
In other words, the "a, 500 employ
ees In 1905 received 50, Sos 1881 more in
1872. which is an average increase to
each railroad employee in Georgia in
1912 over 1908 OF more than SOS fer
annum,
The Commission has taken ten trunk
me 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, Birminghan
and Atlantic. the Central of Georgia
and the Western and Atlantic and their
wage accounts show that they paid in
1912 to the same number Of employees
as in 1908, in wages. $500 1894 90 more
than in 1908.
The Individual wage scale further
shows that by far the largest increase in
wages has been paid 10 EMPLOYEES be-
longing to labor unions. such as engf-
neers, hremen, conductors, train hands
In other words, while the average in
1912 over 1908 was sos 90 per annum
the average increase to each member Of
a labor union was larger by far, in some
instances, doubtless approximating $500
OF more.
Holds Unions Menace.
Hence, we are brought race 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 IN
above those received by workmen in afl
other departments of life who have not
formed these aggressively militant COM
! binations. 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 negotiable pro-
portion of the wages paid TO the 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 by
I winking their violations Of IL 10 hold
up the general public and rob it of the
| facilities for transportation. then she can