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

contract was virtually entered into by
tho 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
| 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,
therefore, as either of those companies
attempts to perform the duty It as
sumed the State is under obligation to
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 1854 Of the Code OF Geor-
| gia, the Railroad Commission is author
lied to require all common carriers and
other public service companies under
tain such public service and facilities as
may be reasonable and just" Also, TO
order and compel the operation Of suf-
| hcient and proper passenger service
when in it's 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
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
travel and secure public convenience is
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 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
| he 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
lenet 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
| 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
virtually encouraging the formation
of mobs to intimidate and personally as
.ault- 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 claim which can be ex-
dressed In these words: This is your
property, but It is my job on It. | ana
my partners, the union, will defend our
lltual rights to exclusive ownership
II the position which we hold on your
! property. We viii determine for you
"A Won oh D
| not hire, and what wages you shall paw,
| While II is true that we have not in
vested dollar in this public service
iity and You have invested millions
| in II, yet we have vested rights in these
| positions, rights which we have acquired
| by usurpauon, and We will hold them,
while defying the laws Of the State and
subjecting the public to serious fncon-
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
Of State"
Labor Exacts Tax"
| In considering the status of the public
| service corpora tons and their employees
| there Is one factor which can not be
! ignored. This is embodied in the follow
| ing words found in the last annual re-
! %ort of the Railroad Commission OF
I'm 1908. the railroads operating in
| Georgia employed in Georgia, "a 500 per
/ sons: in 1912, they employed S9. sol.
| The wages paid these So 69l employ
! eeS III lSl2 exceeded the wages paid the
| 34,SO9 employees in 1908, S5,77l. lO4 gS
more than in 1908. This. however was
| TO larger number Of employees. The
indlvldual wage scales show that had
the number or employees for 1912 been
! kept the same as In 1908, they are being
paid $3.6bS' p more than in 1905.
IN other words. the S4.S09 employ
ees IN 1905 received So. Sos. 725. q more in
| 1912 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
| 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.
I the Georgia Railroad the Atlanta and
! West Point, the Atlanta. Birmingham
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
| 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 enEf-
neers, hremen, conductors. train hands,
etc
In other words, while the average in
crease TO each OF the "a. 500 employees in
1912 over 1908 was S105.00 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
blnauons 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
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 10 the extent that they are forcing
from the employers an ineQuitRhle pro-
portion OF the wages paid to thl 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
winHng at their violations of IL to hold
up the general public and rob II Of the
facilities FOR transportation, then she can