The workingman's advocate., 1865-03-25
THE GREAT CONSOLIDATION.
II is Going to Pieces Rapidly---ovor
400 Mechanics Discharged.

unless something unusual transpired at the
Northwestern shops Well, something very
uni sual has transpired-nothing less than
the discharge Of ouer te0 hundred mechanics,
your humble servant among the rest That
is what accounts for the strange locality from
which my letter is dated. I am trying to
procure situation as assistant bridge-tender,
with every chance of success. am tired of
working for monopolies, especially poor, un-
grateful ones. ! want a position where am
not compelled to keep my nose to the bench
all the time, and where my pay will be forth
coming when earned. Besides have been
confined so many years in the vaults Of the
Northwestern that | wish to get out among
my fellow men, and learn a little of,human
nature by studying physiognomy. | think
Lake street bridge is about the best place
could select for this purpose.
Many are the reasons assigned by the men
as to why they were so summarily dismissed
Some are foolish enough to blame it on your
| correspondent. They assert that, when the
"Prince" could not find out "Machinist," so
as to wreak his vengeance upon the devoted
head of that individual, he discharged all, 50
that Re would be sure not to miss Of him.
This isnot so. There are other rea sons for the
virtual closing Of the shop doors some Of
which, with your permission, will state.
In the first place, since the consolidation,
the Northwestern company has been the
worst managed corporation Of its size in this
country, and perhaps, in the world The
managing superintendent, on his appoint
ment, selected his fayorites for positions they
were totally unqualified to fin and these men
invariably appointed others Of their own
stripe, who were equally deficient Of that
knowledge which is 30 essential in conduct
ing the business Of large and extensive
railroad company. Indeed, so far has this
system Of incompetency. been carried that,
from the Superintendent down to the "gang
leader" with very few exceptions, a man who
understood his business could see nothing
but extravaganza in waste Of material, and
blundering Of the grossest kind. fAt the very
outset Of the consolidation the, salaries Of
officials and 'hangers-on" were increased,
and the wages Of poor laborers and other
workmen correspondingly lowered. )To make
matters worse, good workmen were disliked,
and treated in very uncivil manner, and
frequently with the coarsest kind of faouse In
the different shops the benches were filled
with half apprentices and other inferior
workmen, who sometimes spoiled more ma
terial in day than their wages would come
to in a week, and Of whom it would take
three or four to do an average days work
for skilled mechanic. With this state of
things existing, is it any wonder that when
pay day came around, last month, there was
no money in the treasury; and, on some of
the men making inquiries about it, they were
outrageously abused by the general master
mechanic, for which some sixty of the most
competent and spirited left the shops
Since then matters have been growing
worse; and to cap the climax, the farmers
along this Iilroad and its divisions withhold
their produce from market, owing to the
high rates Of freight demanded by the
company, preferring to feed their grain to
cattle. A train Of fire freight cars came
through from Freeport on Tuesday, not leav-
ing one pound of freight for shipment behind
them on the line.
There is another consideration, which, |
think, had something to do with discharging
so many men. There is every reason for
believing that the law suit now pending be-
tween the stockholders of the GaIena and
the Northwestern Company will be decided
in favor Of the former, and 50 the present
managers Of the consolidation want to take
all the wear they can out ofthe rolling stock Of
the Galena, thus throwing a portion Of the
expenses of their mismanagement on their
successors in Office.
In conclusion, permit me to tender my
deep sympathy to the stockholders, for they
are the real sufferers. The employees are not
in need Of my sympathy. Any Of them who
are able and willing to work can easily pro-
cure employment, and il is well for them that
work is plenty, for if they were dependent on
the tender mercies Of the Northwestern rail-
road company for livelihood, their families
and themselves would come to want. There
are few Of the employees, however, Who de-
serve passing notice, and whose case ought
to be warning to mechanics in future,
when inducements are held out to them to
take the places Of fellow craftsmen while they
are doing battle for their rights. refer to
the men who came here few days ago from
Schenectady, after being enticed away from