The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-07-14
From tie WILLIAMSBURG Register.
Strike ON the Portage Railroad.


the glorious "Keystone" of the Federal
Arch, under the management of our Lo-
cofoco Canal Commissioners, Locofoco
Auditor General, Locofoco Railroad and
Canal Officers.
On Monday last we had the magnif-
cent spectacle in this place of some one
hundred and fifty or two hundred of the
laborers employed by the State in various
capacities on the Portage Railroad on
strike, not for higher prices, or ten hours,
or any thing of that sort, but for their
wages
They had toiled day after day, week
after week, month after month, and wal
ted, and waited still, for their pay, and
yet they couldn't get 1t, either because the
State is too poor to pay her laborers their
hire, or because the Office -hclders are
dishonest scoundrels, and by Withholding
the pay seek to turn penny for them
selves or their favorites by the checkroll
traffic, or otherwise speculate upon the
laborer's money.
At least it seems to us that, stripped
of oil mystifcation and narrowed down
to the marrow of the matter, one of these
two alternatives must be true And what
an alternative Our proud old Common
wealth so poverty stricken that she can't
pay the day laborer his wages or her
Officers so corrupt that honesty stands
abashed at the very thought of their in
iquities
VIII the people continue to regard this
state of affairs with Indifference ? Has
the time indeed come, when under the
name of Democracy" dishonest men
may outrage right, withhold the laborers'
hire and speculate with impunity upon
his necessity Has it, We ask, come to
this; and let the criminated clear their
skirts if they can. If guiltless we wish
them safe and triumphant vindication (;
but if otherwise shameful and ignomin-
ious conviction. Corruption in public
places must be rooted out
But without farther remark, we lay
before the reader the oppressed and out
ragged Operatives" own statement of
their grievances, the truth of which can
only be denied by brazen hardihood
that mocks at integrity and virtue. But
first we must say that among the strikers
we noticed no OGce-holdcrS, none of the
50 and $3.50 and SO or $4 day men.
They appear to live "fast and be "fush'
in the midst of all the poor subordinates
oppression. There seems to be always
money enough to support their dignity,
but none to supply the necessaries of life
to the hard-fsted operative
| Stateme1t 9t'the Operatives ntte AAeghc-
ny Portage Railroad, Of Grieranccs IN
der achich they hare Laborea.
FELLOW CITIZENS The undersigned
operatives on the Allegheny Portage Rail
road have met to-day to devise the best
and efectual means of procuring our va
ges on the said railroad. We will make
brief statement Of the grievances which
We complain of. Many of us have been
in the employ of the Commonwealth on
this road for years ; during the past year
we frequently worked eighteen hours out of
the tece1aty. .f0aIr, and often longer; we have
not received any money from the Common
wealth for sac months, and many ofus TEN
and ELEVEN MONTHS; persons have credit
ed US and are now becoming clamorous for
their money. We have not murmered or
complained, and would not now, only for
bearance has ceased to be virtue. Ma
ny of US have been compelled to sell our
time, paying from 10 to Is per cent. to
spectators, to pay debts which We had
contracted to support ourselves and fam
lilies, and on those debts had to pay an
advance of from 10 to 20 percent. more
than we could have purchased for cash /;
thus losing at least 20 per cent. of our
wages, in consequence of not beingprompt-
ly paid. Those Cheek Rolls and Bills a
gainst the State which have been sold are
the first which find their way into the
Treasury, are consequently first paid,
without regard to precedence. Did they
take their regular time we would not
complain, but that time worked in the
spring should be paid for in preference to
that worked the previous fall, merely be-
cause the rolls have changed hands, we
do complain most bitterly of. The injus-
tice is too great to be borne any longer.
We have been told that some SIXTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS of claims has
passed into the Treasury without the Su-
perintendent of the road paying dollar
on them, or passing through his hands,
thus causing loss to the operatives of at
least SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS in
the shape of discount There is some
thing wrong. Wecomplain thathan have
been discharged without being paid, and
forced to seek employment elsew here-com-
pelling them to come time and again for
their money, and finally having to sell
their time at heavy discount, as the on
y means of getting their money.
Money in every branch of the govern
ment is plenty; the hands on the new Por
5age Road are all paid up to the first of
June The money with which they are
paid was appropriated at the same time
.he money appropriated to pay us was
If the appropriation was not large enough
% pay the expenses of the road, let it be
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