The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-10-17
LET THE STRIKE PROCEED.

If one man is employed by anoth.
er and the terms of employment are
not satisfactory, the employed should
have the right to quit. If the service
rendered by the employed is not
satisfactory the employer should
have a right to dispense with such
service. Therefore, we are of the
opinion that every employee of the
railroads in this country should have
the right to quit the employment of
the roads if they so elect. We do not
believe that they have the right to
band together and quit in body in
order to starve the railroad owners
and the public into submission, if
this can be done, but for the pur-
poses of the present controversy, we
shall assume that they have even that
right.
But when these employees have
given up their jobs, and that is what
going out on strike means, they
should quit the premises of their for
mer employers, and seek employ
ment elsewhere. They have no right
to remain on, or about, the property
of the railroads for the purpose of
intimidation, nor even for the pur-
pose of interfering in any way, by
persuasion or otherwise, with those
who take their places. If those who
take their places are satisfied with
the terms of employment, it should
not be the duty nor the privilege of
strikers to make them dissatisfied. We
imagine that a farmer in Abbeville
County, if all his laborers quit in a
body would feel that he had the right
10 employ others, and if he did and
those formerly employed should un-
dertake to hang about his fields for
the purpose of undertaking to per-
suade the new employees to quit
Their posts, there would be trouble.
The farmer should have the right to
have such force employed as would
protect him against such invasions
Of his rights.
The same thing is true of the rail-
roads. They have right to run their
business as they see fit. When not
bound by contract to others, they
have legal right to employ whom
they please. If those in their employ
at given time see fit to quit, the
railroads should have the right to seS
cure other men to carry on their
work. The former employees having
quit their employment should have
nothing further to do with the mat
ter. If they undertake to interfere
with the right of the railroads to
carry on the work for which they
are incorporated,> the strong arm of
the law should restrain them, and we
believe will restrain them, unless the
law officers in this country shall prove
to be pussy-footing towards, which
we do not expect.
This is a fight as pointed out by
one of the union officials against the
public. "The public must walk" is
the way he puts it. That is but anoth-
er statement that the strike in reality
is directed against the public. The
public should realize that. The pub
lie must pay the exorbitant wages
which is demanded and received by
large percentage Of those who are
in the employ of the railroads. We
paid as freight on coal before the
war $2.10 per ton. We pay now
$50 u $3.44 per ton for the same
coal. Every man who buys a ton of
coal contributes his part. The same is
true with other commodities. We
cannot continue 60 pay these enor-
nous and unnecessary charges. But
we must pay them if wages cannot
be reduced to such point that
freight rates may also be reduced.
We agree with the Columbia State
that the public should prepare for the
strike. The public should not allow
itself to be held up at the point of
the pistol. The public should be pre-
pared to defend the railroads if the
strike comes and the roads must op-
crate with other help. The officers of