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

ton. then she cannot claim the right
to protect any farmer or other person
employing labor against his en-
p. oyees who might strike and pro,
claim to him that nobody else should
work his crop for him; that if ne
hired any other employees they
would burn his dwelling and barns,
and, if needs be, kill him and MS
new employees to establish their
supremacy over him and his property.
And if the state says to owners
of railroads, factories, etc.: you
shall pay tax on this properly when
you have created or bought, put
another class shall control it. l hold
you responsible for keeping it in con-
dition for safely serving the public.
but I allow them the privilege of
wrecking it, or of depriving the pub
lie of the use of it, then how can she
protect farmer or any other citizen
in the right to control his property?
The same courts established by the
constitution and composed of judges
elected by the people and jurors
chosen from the people are open to
the members of labor unions on the
same guarantee of equality as they
are to farmers and all other classes
in the state, and no methods Of set
Element of Quarrels by labor unions
which results in inconvenience and
damage to the public should be
tolerated.
Again, upon this point, it is gene
rally understood that when the mem
bers Of one of the unions strike
against the employing company, the
members of the same union on other
companies are assessed to support
the strikers until the strike is ended.
If this be true the Organization in
question could assess it's members
one-tenth or one-fortieth OF the
amount and employ counsel to take
the cause of controversy into court
and could have justice secured with
out damaging any of the interest OF
the public.
Or, if the strikers are not thus sup
ported by their brother members,
they could assess themselves sum
beside the gross amount
of wages lost during the period OF
the strike and could have their case
in the courts without in
fiicting damage upon the unoffendlng
public.
In either case they would go before
judges and juries of their fellow citi-
zens in precisely the same manner as
every other one is required and COM
PEELED to do; and it is impossible for
all other classes to concede that the
members of labor unions have any
preferential privileges suggesting, If
not actually applying the process OF
anarchy when they-the masses-are
required to submit to the process o
law.
1t is needless then to say that the
state would not permit the manage
nent to shut down the operation of
4 street car line or railroad. 1t is
manifest, therefore, that the acts of
the employees in preventing such OPP
grafton is equally indefensible, equally
and that they should be
Just as inflexibly held accountable to
the laws of the state. No man, no
of men, is greater than
the state and her laws.
| have stressed the views herein ad-
vanced because the object lessons CIV
en- by the striking employees of the
street car company in Augusta ana
Of the Georgia railroad have been a
practical service of notice by the Ia
Dor union to the state of Georgia
that it's laws within her borders is
greater than her law; that the allegi-
ance of its members to it is more
binding than the allegiance they owe
TO her.
The executive office has not made
this issue; the state of Georgia has
not made it. The labor union has
openly and recklessly thrown down
the gauntlet. The state, therefore,
cannot shrink from her duty to her
Constitution and her people
It is a matter of current note that
the power of the labor union to hurt
the general public and to terror1ze
public men anxious to retain offices
of honor and trust has been found
in the fact that in several communl-
ties it votes solidly in blocks OF scores
or hundreds for those who cater to 1t
and against those who refuse to bow
to it's demands: but | call your at
tention to the fact that, besides multi
tudes in the cities and towns whose
interests are jeopardized by its eXac-
lions, there are upwards OF 20O,0O0
voters in the rural portions OF this
state whose welfare can only be pro-
tected by holding the members OF the
labor union to the same non-interfer-
ence with the rights of others and the
same accountability to law which they
admit as governing themselves. They
will certainly claim that the labor
union men, individually and collect
lively, are no better and have no great
| will add that it is no answer at all
to say that labor cannot get its rights
in any other way than by a strike
and boycott. The courts are as open
TO the labor union man as to the farm
er. and there is not the slightest rea-
son why the latter should be required
to settle his difference in the states
wav. which injuries no third party, and
that the labor union man be left free
to damage everybody else while set
thing his difference by strike.
He. therefore, who would remain in
public life would do well to merit the
approval of those myriads OF laW-ab1d-
ing and peace-loving citizens beside
whose numbers the labor unions is
trife.
Finally on this subject, l will OBJ