The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-03-22
ADAMSON
LAW UPHELD
Constitutional and Enforce .ble in
Every Feature" Says Su-
preme Court
EPOCHAL DECISION
Congress Clothed With All Power
Necessary to Keep Open Chan
nels of Interstate Com
merce
EIGHT-HOUR BASIC DAY

This Will be Fixed in Computing
Wage Scales On Interstate Rail-
roads-Increases in Wages Will
Cost Railroads S4O,0O0,0OO to $780,
100000 Year-Both Carriers and
Employees Can be Made to Arbi-
trate Their Differences
Washington Dispatch, March 10.
In an epochal decision holding Con-
gress to be clothed with any and all
power necessary to keep open the
channels of Interstate commerce,
the Supreme court today, dividing
five to four, sustained the AdamsonI
law as constitutional and enforceable
in every feature.
The immediate effect Of the de-
cision will be to fix a permanent
eight-hour basic day in computing
wage scales on interstate railroads,
for which a nationwide strike twice
has been threatened and to give, ef-
fective January i, this year, in
creases in wages to trainmen Of about
rs per cent, at cost to railroads
estimated from $40,000,000 to $780,
100000 a year.
The court, through Chief Justice
White, declared both carriers and
their employees, engaged in bus
mess charged with public inter-
est subject to the right of Congress
to compulsorily arbitrate a dispute
affecting the operating of that bus
mess.
"Whatever would be right of an
employee engaged in private business
to demand such wages as he desires,
to leave the employment if he does
not get them and by concert of &C
ton to agree with others to leave on
the same condition." said the opin-
ion, "such rights are necessarily sub
ject to limitation when employment
! is accepted in business charged
with a public interest and as to
which the power to regulate com
merce by Congress applies and the
resulting right to fix in case of dis
agreement and dispute a standard
of wages as We have seen necessar'
! lily obtained"
National Emergency
In delivering the opinion, the
Chief Justice departed at this poin
/ of his reading of the text to EN-
| phasize the position of men operat
ing trains in time Of national emer
gency by comparing them to soldiers
facing an enemy.
Coming on the heels Of the conces
sion of the eight-hour basic day b,
the railroads at New York to aver
the threatened strike, today's decis
ion is regarded as largely supplantin|
that agreement and also removln
for all time, through the broades
Interpretation of congressional au
| thority lined by the court, tn
i e f14, 4Yor 3ofI n
| paralysis.
II Joining +, with the Chief Justic
in sustain IT e the law, were Justice
McKenna and Holmes-his immed
ate seniors in point of service-an
| Justice Brandies and Clarke, junit
members. Dissenting for variol
reasons were Justices Day, Van D.
/ vanter, Pitney and McReynolds.
j The majority upheld the publ
right to have Interstate CONNER
@ uninterrupted as a basic princip
paramount to interests of the raj
d roads or thnir operatives-both d
Il clared to be in public service and su
p ject to the s;oreme, unrestrlct'
y power of Congress to take any a
g ton necessary to maintain freedo
& and uninterruption of inter-Sta
y wages or hours Of labor, the cou
3 decided Congress has authority
y enact the Adamson statute.
q 1t is also declared that the Ada1
& son act is neither unavoidable, co
T fiscatory, experimental nor IN
u cess of congressional railroad re
= ulatory authority, but in effect, W
& compulsory arbitration, a pow
& which it (Congress) undoubtedly pc
4 sessed' and Inevitably resulted frc
y it's authority to protect INTEREST:
= commerce dealing with a situatl
like that before it,
& Dissenting Opinions
Z Concurring in the main princlpl
y enunciated by the majority. JUST
y McKenna expressed the opinion tn
y the law is an hours Of service a
= not wage-fixing statute: He al
suggested increase of railroad n
. enue probably would be provided
-: wage increases resulted.
The dissenting opinions
Day and McReynolds delivering
dividual views and Justices Pitr
and Van Devanter joining in one :
inouncement-variously asserted tt
the Adanfson act is void because
is beyond constitutional powers
Congress; because it takes railrt
property without due process OF |;
or because it is not an hours OF
Dor statute nor legitimate regu
ton of commerce.
Justices Pitney and Van Devan
denied that Congress has power
fix wages of common carriers
ployees-a power uphed1aid oy " the ID
or DEW such power, dissenting
cause he said, "the law illeg
takes railroad revenues and 81
them to the trainmen by arbitr
illegal congressional fiat.
In .upholding the statute, the
- iority reversed Federal Judge Ho
decree enioining the railroads