, 1859-01-20
IAe st. onis, Alton d Chicago Il. Re-
Letter from an Employee in Answer
to our Springfield Correspondent.

EdubrE Press anu IIluuEe-
In reply TO your Springfield correspondents
letter, in your issue ot this date. or to that por
tion Of it referring to the aftars Of the ST. Louf,
Alton J. Chicago Il. H., permit NE, Oh one Of the
parties interested, to say word in behalf Of
the employees. As your correspondendent
tru]v Saws, it Is due TO both sides in the con-
trorersy that they should be plainly stated"
Your correspondent has either been very much
mislnlormed in regard to the statencnt Of the
facts existing on the line OF that miserably man
oQed and unpopular Railroad line, or else his
information has been only confined to one side
Of tie questioa in dispute, and that is the side
on which Gov. Motteson's interest alone lies.
Venhe hauds On the road t1ow th<se to be
| tie fac.s, nnd are prepared to prove our asser-
tions By hundreds Of poor, halt.starEed, poorly
clothed aud almost shoeless men and their suf-
feriug families
On the lst of October, 1855, II. Spencer, the
,essee of this rond, give the same into the con-
| trol Of Joel 4. Ma.teson. Previous to that time
the paymaster on the road came regularly on
| bis monthly trips orer the entire rcad and each
! m 10 some time during the winter nf 1s55-G at
| which time he commenced to Paw ihen or most
Of them, IN scrip, drawing seven ner cent. in
te-est, due three months after date at issuc
.ol,ch scrip 1rns promptly pad at n.afuruy, and
was readily sold at from from ninrtv In ninety
| five cents on the dollar to nny nerson having
money to invest at short time, on the line Of the
rond. as thiF scrlp'was all due at three ,ronths
from date, and all that had become due Was
! promptly paid, there con!d he and 4cas mt due
The employees on the road at th> time Cor Matte.
tool possession Of tie rood, but tire ,no1tAs
back pay.
The scrip yet unredeemed a+ that time Was
paid with the money of the road. after The
| change had taken .plaee with the full under
Standing between Gov. Mattesen md II. Spen-
Ger. thst the said Spencer should take The same
from the road Mt its face. either in payment Tor
| dues. or should pay him for the same In moner.
And ns this agreement was faithfully kent by
| Mr. Spencer, Cor. MatteRon could not aad did
not suffer auy losa IRON, the transaction.
For the frat few months nfter Coz. Mattesan
| employees regularly erery month: and since
Tint time, the time Of plyment-as been length
ened monthly, until from being on!v one month
hehind. II became two months. and from three,
four months. etc. And then it became imrossi-
BILE to obtain any pay whateycr. unless in petty
sums OF from one to ten dollars, to men to
whom several months par was DUE
and then Rma'l tumz only could be
obtained By the most continued application
men from distant l'oirt~ tie line have for
liz
where the cn1nl,aly~ oficrs are. waiting from LAY
| IN duy tnr few dollars tn luv tue ncces7areS af
life and clntsr tFrsnsels"s anil fnlies an1 in ttc
mo.y o{ cascs for f!lc list year lavc l.cr,1 ht,-
lleeA to leave and 70 lsolup without obtaining 4
single cent III lymcut for their hard earned ,lues,
not lclns ah'" 10 rav even their bills nj the hotels
where they may have ~taye HI)i1e there, The
employees il. this city lIaye lecn 1,ail from
fnur 10 Sly months more than ut any Of the points
IN the linc, or t" tue Men tic trains OF
In MI t-af M taft &f,o+$
are At this time more than fonr md half
months behind 10 their pay. And the men on
the line OF the rnnd are generally behind, ut
least Oh au average Of eight months, and sone
Of them much more. And at any time for the
Inst nine months that any employee has de-
nauded his poy. and made any disturbance br,
causa he could not get it. be has been discharged
!. aud then only pnid one mouths pay in cash--
ard has been obligad either to take scrip due
Mt sig months from date. drawing nn intere.
for the balance. or 20 without anything; aud
: II the company in entirely irresponsible, uue
nothing eau be collected Of them on IN execu
ton. these men hare either been obget
Z 70 take this worthless scrip or nothing
Il In 1T I: Of t!e assertion Of thr irrcsponsiby u
J., this cortarainn wn- ID refer you to the record
a Of our city courts, where thrsc are judgments I
's tho amount nf nearly llunlrel thousand dol
ii lars against them which cannnt lie collected, m
= 1M!tr nf which c,n lie bought for 4 song. and I
1nny of OUT leading merchants, Of whom thc
IL cannot Obtain one dollars credit A. to til
worthlcssnr~~ of The scrip haze only Ia say. as
any nuc that knows of its value. aud they will te
you cannot Ire sud fur auJ price and is lerfcctl
ot | worthless.
IF These fhr fnrfs in thf rasf and the quarrel
a.. nut aMut any ulsi balance. for there Is nonf. but
10 "n'y tn get ous nay for What ia Tue liz for mar
/; months hard labor, au] for which We are uure
1e sonal!c enough to think VIC ought to te paid. Y
49, have determined that we hare already work,
~ long enough without pay, and that we will wo
& no longer without receiving it or some goot S
c,lity for It, both of which hare bct
refused us hy Gov. Matteson. Are we too u
I'll reasonable: Do we ask too muchf All Il
crne We have committed 's to refuse to wor
en- Aud We all know that the road hos earned mo
no moro during the past year than would be sui
% c,ent to pay all demands accruiug agaipst
III. during the snme time. for erpenses aud repai'
OF In regard to the statement bv your CORE
en- pondent, that they we're paid last, some +
r., weeks since. It is correct. but be ouits the i
a. portaut fact, which ia that he was then pavi
IN the men their dues for the month Of April, Is
en-. only nine montns siuce-payiug very prom
,ar " 1sltnot?
'e' We doubt not that Cor. Matteson ho
claims against the road for $oO0, 900. but vi
Ids did these claims cost him : Five or ten ce
,m on the dollar! Let your correspondent ausw.
-; We think our cause perfectly just, mud feel
'i' confident that the public here will look upo1
rs iuet, and uphold US. ar the citizens along
the line OF tho road are now doing.
ar. remain yours. Ac., Jrsr1cz