The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-10-21
GOVERNOR SAYS
TRAINS MUST RUN
WILL NOT HESITATE TO CALL
SESSION OF LEGISLATURE
Holds That it Would Be Duty of
State to See That Trains
Were Operated
The State.

The State.
Trains will be operated in South
Carolina, strike or no strike, provided
volunteers can be procured to man
them, according to Gov. R. A. Cooper
who last night said that if it We're
considered necessary, a special ses
sion of the legislature would be call
ed in order to draw up measures
deemed expedient to meet the emer.
gency.
1t was as no foe of organized labor
nor of collective bargaining that the
chief executive of the state said he
spoke, but as an official who realizes
in its fullness, the meaning of cessa-
tion of railway traffic in this state al
the present time. The decline in the
price of farm products raised in this
state; the increase in the price Of
products raised in, distant states and
countries; the suffering and the mis-
cry that would follow in the wake of a
complete tieup of railway traffic were
visualizeG by the governor when ne
said, "Trais must not stop"
Forecasts Conditions.
eff this threatened railroad strike
becomes a reality said the govern
or, 'it will mean that the prices of
practically everything we have to
sell will decline, while the prices of
products which we have to buy will
increase.
Freight rates are now sky high,
and many agricultural products, es-
pecially those raised in the West, can
not be sold because of high rates.
''The employees of the railroads
ought to un erstand that the public
is so vitally Interested in the opera
tion of the railroads that, if sufficient
labor can be had, the trains will be
operated.
''In case the strike becomes real
ity, it would be the duty of the state
to use every means in its power to see
that trains were operated.
eff it should be considered advis-
able to hold a special session of the
legislature, I would not hesitate 10
call it. E
"Neither would / hesitate to call
for volunteers to aid in. running the
arains.
8 81 expr ess no opinion as to the
merits of the controversy between the
railroads and their employees, but if
the employees are receiving a living
wage, they will find great difficulty in
satisfying suffering public that a
strike is justifab,e at this particular
time.
Suggests Census
''It would be advisable to begin to
take a census of the men who are
not members of the union with view
to having the trains oper@ted, for the
trains must run.
"The cotton farmer has suffered
very materially by reason of the de-
cline in prices of cotton as well as
by the unprecedented low production,
and no one ought to expect govern
ment, state or national, to fail to take
any measures which would prevent
further loss to those engaged in agri-
culture, since agriculture is the
source of all our wealth.
81 would not have it understood
that I say that the unions have no
legal right to go on strike, but they
have no moral right to call strike
at time when it would entail ire
parable suffering.
''The railroad managers and en-
ployees should be willing to have
their controversy settled before the
great court of public opinion. That
court functions in many ways and
while its DEGREES may be delayed, it
is inevitably the court of last resort.
'The success or failure of the pro-
posed strike will depend on whether
or not it is sustained by the court of
n,1h1;c onir;on' -