Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-11-15

make satisfactory terms with them, they may
90 and he must seek other workmen.
SO far, good But when from private
employment we proceed to public employ
ment. either under the Government directly.
as policemen or postal clerks or in those
private employments which are Indispensable
public utilities. as railroad hands or lighting
works employees, the ease becomes different,
because there enters into it the third and
really dominant factor of the public and it's
needs OF which both the employers and the
employees in the last analysis the ser
wants.
A railroad IS chartered primarily for the
public service. 1t is understood that those
who build and operate it are entitled to make
a reasonable profit out Of that service But
the service to the public and not tie p"oft
tc the owners is the primary object of the
Government s action in chartering the road
and giving it the privileges which it en-
joys. Consequently it is required to main
tain a certain standard of service, whether
it pays or not. 1t is compelled to run GER
tain trains which do not pay but are a
dead loss simply because they are needed
for the accommodation of the public.
Now if the owners of road should de-
mand the right to increase rates of fare
and in default thereof should go on strike
by refusing to run trains, we all know
what would happen They would be uni
versally denounced. and they would lose
their charter That would be because they
were refusing to render the service to the
public for the rendering of which their
road was chartered.
What, then, are we to say when the en-
,>1, Il ;olo 10
fault thereof go on strike and thus stop the
running Of trains? They are preventing the
rendering Of that same service to the pub
lie.
In the former case everyone would say
that the owners ought to keep the roads
running so as to serve the public, even if
the rates are too low. They might keep
on negotiating for an increase until they
it, meanwhile they should keep the roads
running
In the latter case, likewise, it may well
be argued that the men should keep the
trains moving, so as to serve the public
They may keep on agitatlng for higher
wages. until they secure them by demon
strating the justice of their demand, but
meanwhile they should keep the trains NOV
ing for the public's sake.
And if in the one case the owners would
be penalized for stopping the operation Of
the road. it may well be argued that in the
other the men should also be penalzed for
stopping the operation of the road. In each
case the wrong is done to the public, and
the public is entitled to redress or, better
still, to protection against It's occurrence.
The largest corporations and the humb-
lnCt nlhIIc
service need alike to realize that their first
duty is to the public; to render it salts
factory and uninterrupted service. They
incur that obligation automatically, by the
very act and fact of their engaging in that
service. Their right to withdraw from
that service may not be Denied but it is in
cumbent upon them to effect such with
drawal in a way which will not initiate
against the interests of the public. For
them to do so in a way purposely calculated
to discommode the public by depriving it