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Show Ill It ft 1.1 ATI, The lllsllta of Itallenail Employes Wasiiinoton, April 11. The re oint decision! of Jodgta 'J alt and lllckaluUhlo, nudBpcedln Ueorgls, lu relation to thu rlghta and duties of railroad employe!, came up In connection connec-tion with tho resolution Instructing the committee on luteritate commerce to Inquire Into that and other lulled!. H Mr. l'eflrr thought Judge It cki K decision, which had been a good ileal HI criticised by labor orgaultitloni,would mk lo approved by them when they came H? touuderitandbetttrltaacope,audknow IK It In all 111 fullness. Rf Judge Hicks' decision, Mr. l'efler H believed, would lead to a final adjust. S meul of all the dlfllcultloi between K vmployta und emjliyera of carrying B corporations. 'I he resolution waa re- H ferred. H Mr. Jonea ollered a resolution In- Wk ttructlng the committee on Indian allalra to continue the Investigations H heretofore ordered with power to visit H Indlau rekervutlons aud Indian Tor H tltoiy, Mr. Hherman remarked that I the luveetlgntlous ordered two ycara E ego ihould have terminated by this fH time. It seemtd to him that there stuuld be au cud to such Inveatlga. ME tloui. Unleaa there waa u demand lor Hff them aint aomu public usefulness to B loinu nl them, pojuUr cplulon woull B condemn them on I say they wore m mero plcaiuro panics organized at the m uxjiense of thu tuvernmtnt of the V United Htitea. U Uorraiiu eald onu matter to be In. quired Into wia the recent decision! of H tne United HUtes, ml whether, In m view of the luter-itato commerce law W und anil trust law, the Judgei bad a I. right to determine not only what a W railway employe thould do, but what H ho ihould not ilo. Theiu declilom Je were the first great step on the part of H the Judiciary to make lerfa of men wu- tm ployed by railroad aorporatloot, l'lutl aald he had not seen In the gn decision referred te anything tbat 'Jap looked llle usurpation ol power by the H court or llku digndlne; thu woiklug Hi men of tho country to tne condition of Hi aerfa. He believed tho employee ul Hi railroads had no more right to engage jH lu dlicrlnilnatloui of commerce tliuu HH their rrnployers had, and he did not H believe theru waa lOiylhlng either In jH tho liilcrilulo oominercu uct nr the 'H untl-trust oct that ws not lu afllrma. !Hi lion of tho well-considered aud well Hj eatabllslieil common law. H Vest said Judgu Hpeed In till deolilon Hi had only alllrmed what every lawyer B kuowatobecjmmonlaw, lie decided HE that any contract or regulation In re- HE itralutof tbo commerce of the United HB Blatei waa nleolutaly void. Any engineer had at right to give up his I employment, but when nu oiTOclatlon of Iscomotlve engineer! or any other association or rorporatlon unlertuok tj makn n rule an! onforcn It In restraint of commerce that rule was absolutely void. Voorhera said tho unit dangerous question that thla country was facing today was tho encroachment of cor. porate power or colossal wealth agalmt those who worohelplesily In Its power and whom It wanted to have chained toenusr. This power claimed a rail, roiel emplo)i was aJ enlisted as u prlvato soldier, and If he lift his poll hn was to be unlshed as a deserter. H therefore felt It his duly to Intro, duce a resolution directing an Inquiry as to what action might bo necissiry for the better protection of laboring pro) le and their greater security from thn encroachment of corporatu power. I'latt raid It was not wise to attack the ludlclary of the United Hlatcs. It was not wise to lutlmato that thu Judges were curt. It was not wlio to talk about the despotism of tho ludlcUry to reduce laborers to the erudition eru-dition of rerfs. Thelaborlng man hnl confUonceln tho ootirtu and he would be protected In all his legal rights, but hu did not believe, and thelaborlng man did not believe, that whllo en kagedlntbe employment of common carriers lie ahoulJ cnooie his own time to leave that employment. After further deb-vto the question went over till tomorrow, when 1'almer will liavu thu lloor tosiak upon It. TheBenato thou adjourned. |
