Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-03-28
Operator Declare Present En-.
ployees Satisfactory and Will
Treat Them Fair
Quotes Judge Clayton that "Men
Scrambled Eggs by Strik- -
ing, in Decision

The striking employees of the A.
B. & A. Railway Company offered,
in Court today, to return to work
in body, leaving the question of
wages open and subject to the Court s.
authorizing them to employ an audi
tor to examine the books of the A..
B. & A. Railway Company. The
statement was made by the employ
ees' counsel that he only represented
them in "a body and could only speak
for them as a body and hence would
only agree for all of them to return
to work at the same time. This prop
osition was coupled with the state
ment that before they went into a
hearing on the question of the rea-
sonableness of the wages proposed to
be paid by the Receiver they would
want ruling from the court 20 the
effect that they are to be treated as
employees in spite of the fact tina;
they had withdrawn from the service
The Receiver commended that he
did not have room for all the strikers,
that he would be willing to re-employ
such of them as he might need but
that he could not, unless the Court
| directed him to do so, undertake to
discharge the men he lad employed
to take the place of the strikers IN
order to make room for the strikers
who had endeavored to tie up the
railroad. The Receiver stated that
the men he had employed were salts
fled with the wages he was paying
them and that it would pot be all
right to discharge them to take back
striking employees who would not be
satisfied.
Judges Clayton and Sibley- con-
ferred together and Judge Clayton an
nounced the opinion of the Court to
the effect that it is very easy to
scramble an egg, but after it has
once been scrambled it is hard to
unscramble it and that the employees
by striking had Scrambled the egg"
and they had nobody to blame but
themselves and that the Court would
not order the Receiver to discharge
| faithful men, who we're doing salts
| factory work and were satisfied with
their wages, in order to make room
for men who had abandoned their
posts at time when the road needed
them most.
Judge Clayton said furthermore
THAT when the men struck they sew
cred completely the relationship of
emloyer and employee that had ex-
listed between them and the Receiver
and that since the strike began they
had not been employees at all and
are not now.
After the Courts decision counsel
of the men withdrew from the court
room and the nonresident grand Of
ficers who were present also with
drew from the courtroom.
After Judge Clayton announced the
Courts decision it then went into the
hearing on the reasonableness of the
wages and after taking testimony
granted an order fixing the wages as
previously provided in the order of
February 28, except common labor,
the wages paid them on December 81,
1917, plus one-half the increases since
that date, and to pay common labor
the wages prevailing in the commun-
tiles in which they are employed.
The Receiver while he was on the
witness stand, stated that he would
be glad to take back such of the
striking employees as he could use
and who wished to return to the
service.
I aaGA