The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-11-13
THE RIGHT TO STRIKE"

and naenabe rights" of life liberty and the pursuit
If happoiness" It means or seems to mean simply the
right of free to quit working True II Is most
often and most vehemcnty asserted by those VINO seek
n denv the right Of man to work unless he complies
With some artificial and alien condition which neither ne
nor his employer desires. But let that pass On inc
face of it the right to strike is natural corolary 70
the right to work.
We NAV concede that be the in private employ
ment when no violation of contract is involved john
Doe is working for Richard Roe, at brlckayng OF AZ
typesettng or any such occupation and IS not satSeu
with his wages or hours other conditions ne mas
right to quit work until he satisfaction II
there are thousand John Does working for Richard Roe
they all have the right to quit work. that 49, 10
strike The issue is between them and Roe, and II ne
cannot make satisfactory terms with them tney may
go and he must seek other workmen
So far so good But when from private employment
we proceed to public employment either under the Gov
ernment directly policemen or postal clerks or III
those private empoyments which indispensable pup
lie utilities as railroad hands ghtngworks employees
1.-The case becomes essentially different because there en-
tiers into it the third and really dominant factor OF the
IDublic and its needs, OF WHICH DUN Che ~
the EMPLOYEES are in the last analysis the servants
railroad is chartered primarily for the public service
It understood that those who build and operate are
entitled to make reasonable profit out OF that service
But the service the public and not the pront 10 W
owners is the primary object of the governments ACTOR
in chartering the road and giving the privileges which
d it enjoys Consequently, it is required to MAINTAIN
! ,hotbor
compelled to run certain trains which do not pay ou
are dead loss simply because they are needed for tn
d. accommodation of the public.
)" Now if the owners of road should demand the rgh
to increase rates of fare and in default thereof shou
90 on strike by refusing to run trains we all know VIVA
re would hammer They would be universally denounced
and they would lose their charter That would be o'
cause they were refusing to render the service 10 Tn
nublc for the rendering of which their road was char
es tered.
,g What then, are we to say when the employees d.
mand higher wages and in default thereof go on striS
and thus stop the running of trains? They are proven
mt ing the rendering of that service to the pubic
In the former case everyone would that the owne
ought to keep the roads running to serve the pu
''0NF
in negotiating for an increase until they prevailed upc
st the government to permit it, but meanwhile they shou
90 keep the roads running.
In the latter case likewise it may we'll be argued TIL
the men should keep the trains moving, so as to SER
the public They may keep agating for higher wage
until they secure them by demonstrating the justice
their demand but meanwhile they should keep the trail
moving for the public's sake.
And if in the the owners would be penallz
for stopping the operation of the road, it may well
argued that the other the should also be penaz
for stopping the operation of the road In each case
wrong done to the public and the public is entitl
~ to redress or better STILL protection against its occu
: renee,
The largest corporations and the humblest wage-earne
engaged in public utility service need alike to realize tn
their first duty the public to render it satisfacto
and uninterrupted service. They incur that oblgati
automatically by the very act and fact Of their engage
in that service Their right to withdraw from that serv
may not be denied but it is incumbent upon them
effect such withdrawal in way which will not mitga
against the interests of the public For them to do
in way purposely calculated to discommode the pub
by deprivng it of the service to which it is entitled
after the fashion of those who recently threaen
= to tie the railroads up tight that they would new
be untied"s simply ntolerable The time is past VIII
either employers employees could say with mpunit
1.-THE public be damned" -Harvey's Weekly.
,ol The disclosure of extensive graf" to wit bride
and corruption in the enforcement of the wartime p