Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-27
GOVERNOR REVIEWS PLEA
FOR RESPECT OF LAW
Addresses Mass Meeting of
Members of Striking Shop
Craft Unions at Auditorium
Monday Night

vi Ql OIlIOllO Ol IlUNlIOl INl !
Monday Night
In an address before mass meet
ing Of members of the striking shop.
craft unions of Atlanta at the audi
torium, Monday night, Governor
Hardwick reiterated his stand for
a proper, respect for law and order
in all controversies, regardless of
the questions involved; declared that
no group or faction is powerful
enough to be above the law, and as
serted it is his purpose to uphold the
law in the present controversy
"fairly and without favor"
Other speaker at the meeting
were Mayor James L. Key, Con-
gresham w. D. Upshaw and Robert
L. Corley, representative of the In
ternational Association of Machin-
lists. The meeting was presided over
by J. P. Osburn, general chairman
of the Atlanta Federated Shopcraft
Unions.
The governor told members Of the
unions that he did not believe 1t
proper for him to express an opin-
ion as to who is right or who is
wrong in the present controversy,
as in his belief those charged with
unfolding the law should take no
sides. He asserted that it is of
paramount Importance that the laws
should be respected by all factions.
Continuing, the governor told the
strikers that he believed them to be
laW-abiding citizens who respect au'
thority, but that in moments of tenn
per even the best of men are apt
to lose their heads.
t'IIoWever, do not condemn the
unions for sporadic outbreaks; my
faith in them is unshaken," he said.
II believe thoroughly in the right
of unions to organize. But the true
policy of organized labor should be
to fight within the law. That Is the
only kind of fight that will win be-
fore the great jury of public opin-
ion, which in the last analysis, al
ways decides matters OF this kind"
Mayor Attacks Board
Mayor Key, who followed the gov
ernor, attacked the United States
labor board, declaring that he would
like to be president of the United
States for one hour and fifteen min
utes in order to fire the board by
wire.
"The board IS incompetent and
inefficient" he said. "It doesn't I'M
derstand what it's duties are and
doesn't know how to find out what
they are. After that I'd like to ask
all railroad executives to revoke all
ultimatums that have been issued,
both sides of the dispute to meet in
my office on terms of equality, and
if I didn't solve the problems I'd
refer them to some fair arbiter, and
by that I don't mean some board ap-
pointed by somebody. I mean by a
tribunal chosen by both factions. If
the trouble were local I believe it
could be settled in my Office tomor-
row."
The mayor scored the labor board
for outlawing the striking unions,
declaring that it had not thought of
outlaWing the many roads which
had disobeyed it's orders. "The trou-
BILE is they have one law for one
man one side and no law for the
other man on the other SIDE" he de-
clared.
Mayor Key criticized employers
for not sharing times of plenty with
their employees as well as times of
adversely.
In conclusion the mayor called on
strikers to remember the public and
to use every honorable means in
thir power to settle the question by
arbitration.
Congressman Upshaw, who was
the next speaker, was given an en-
thusiastic greeting.
He declared that he had cancelled
a lecture engageent in South Caro-
lima in order to be present. He as
serted that he had been criticized
for attending former meeting of
the strikers but that he would not
be fulfilling his obligations as a
representative of the people if he
did not do so.
Proud of Record
"I take a worthy pride in the fact
that since I have been a member of
congress 1 have faithfully and con-
servatively tried to represent all
classes of my constituents regard
less of creed or station. 1t is the
duty of congressman to make all
classes of his constituents feel that
CIlCy SclI app OctCII All11 cIL Oil
with perfect. freedom and think
aloud their grievances with the as
surance of impartial treatment-.of
square deal all around.
Concerning your present protest
I say that no railroad employee
should have his seniority rights TAX
en- away from him simply because
he and his comrades have seen fit
to stop working for a time in order
to secure satisfactory adjustment
of wages and working conditions;
and certainly when a railroad man
is compelled to work overtime es
pecially on Sunday, he should have
extra pay.
by a press mistake was quoted
in my former speech to the shop.
men as saying: L believe in a fifty
fifty spirit of settlement between Ia
Dor and capital, but it is not a fifty
fifty spirit of settlement when rates
are raised twenty-five per cent and
wages are cut ten per cent What
L did say before 1000 witnesses was
this: 1T is not a fifty-fifty basis
when wages are increased 10 per
cent and rates increased 25 per cent.
Transportation rates should be de-
creased in the same proportion with
| wages"
Denies Charges
RofprrlnO al