The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1913-06-25

necessary, to protect it in thus sery.
ing the public.
Furthermore, in the amended rail
road commission law, as embodied in
sections 26e3 and 1864 of the code
Georgia, the railroad commission is
authorized to require all common car.
riers and other public service com.
panies under it's supervision ito es.
tablish and maintain such public SER
vice and facilities as may be reason.
able and just" Also, ito order and
compel the operation of sufficient and
proper passenger service when in its
judgment inefficient or insufficient
service is being rendered the public
of 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
sovereignty, because in operating a
public highway a transportation cor.
poration exercises the power of a
sovereign. This power over public
highways constructed for public use
to accommodate public travel and Sc.
cure public convenience is matter OF
public concern and is absolutely es.
sential to government"
Hence. it necessarily follows that
any person or combination of persons
who obstructs, intimidates or other.
wise prevents the operation of the
common carriers strikes a blow at
the interests of the public and puts
his or their will in conflict with the
mandate of the sovereign.
There is no escape, therefore, from
the conclusion that these 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 govern
ment, viz: There shall be equal
rights to all, special privileges to
none," and arrogated to themselves
the exercise of special privileges for
settling their quarrels with their
respective managements at the ex-
pnse and serious inconventinc of the
public, and in manner which en-
bodied defiance of the law which re-
quires all jewellers in the state having
differences which they cannot peaceab-
ly 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
assault those citizens whom these
common carriers induced to take the
places they had vacated, that the car
riers might obey the law which Great
ed them, was logically claim which
can be expressed in these words:
This is your property, but 1t is my
job on it. / and my partners, the
union, will defend our mutual rights
to exclusive ownership of the posi-
tons which we hold on your property.
We will determine for you 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 a dollar in this public service
untility and you have invested mill
lions in it, yet, we have vester rights
in these positions, rights which we
have acquired by usurpation,' and we
will hold them, while defying the
laws of the state and subjecting the
public to serious inconvenience and
loss, even against you. On your pro-
perty chartered to serve the public
we are supreme over you, supreme
over the public, supreme over the
law. The union label carries more
authority than does your great seal
of state"
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 following words found in the
last annual report of the railroad COM
mission of Georgia:
'In 1908, the railroads operating in
Georgia employed in Georgia, 34,SO9
persons; in 1912, they employed 49,
691.
"The wages paid these 1851 en-
ployees in 1912 exceeded the wages
paid the 34,809 employees in 1908,
S5.771,1O4.93 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
S3,66S,725.21 more than in 1908.
I'm other words, the 34,8O9 en-
ployees in 1908 received $3,66S, 725.2l
more in 1912, which is an average in
crease to each railroad employee in
Georgia in 1912 over 1908 of more
than $10500 per annum.
THE commission has taken ten
trunk line roads in the state, to-wit,
the Southern, the Seaboard the At
lantic Coast line, the Louisville &
Nashville, the Georgia, Southern &
Florida, the Georgia railroad, the At
lanta & West Point, the Atlanta,
Birmingham & Atlantic, the Central
of Georgia, and the Western & Allan
tic, and their wage accounts show
that they paid in 1912, to the same
number of employees as in 1908, in
wages, $2,6O4,794.90 more than in
1908.
"The individual wage scale further
shows that by far the largest increase
in wages have been paid to employees
belonging to labor unions, such as en-
gineers, firemen, conductors, train
hands, etc"
In other words, while the average
increase to each of the 34,S09 en-
ployees in 1912 over 1908 was $4,000
per annum, the average increase to