Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-07-19
sLuPPERY SAMMY AND THE
. !t.yffgs m IA EO RER .Flii 3tLN

Sammy in his speech at Albany,
among other soft soaping Of his
hearers, said, 1--WE are all laboring
men," Ia asH>! Ill y.3a ..qaii atiS
A correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune, from Marquette, Michigan,
takes. occasion TO expose the seven
million .Oily Gammoner' in this
wise. He says: .ttsa4 - .4 +
r. have said that Mr.. +. was stock
holder IN the Michigan Iron Com
pany, and that that corporation is in
Bankruptcy. Uptos 1873 the Company
had been declaring dividends; after
the two furnaces at Clarksbnrg and
tGreenwood, failed to yield . profit,
the currency alluded to was issued
in lieu Of money to wood-choppers,
laborers, H,rhace-men, charcoal-bnrn-
lers, etc. ~>' ''.I,...2 -
] 1t didn't prove a boon to the labor
lers; for IL was not generally accepta.
tble except at the Company's stores.
occasionally, however, the promisso-
ry notes Of the Company were given
tt6i settle labor claims. The Michigan
Company, in which Mr.. Tilden, in the
Bankruptcy records, is shown to hold
40 shares, struggled through 1874.
but in 1875 made an assignment, and
fell into the United States Bankrupt
ey Court. Liabilities to nearly, half
Ia million were found to exist. Near
~ $4,000. of this amount was due to
flaboMrs who had made money for
the stockholders in the brighter days
for the iron workers. During the in
terim between the Company's evident
Insolvency aud the last thrOc, pr0mi-
nent men In this county, and in Chi
fcago and Boston, who were stock-
holders and Directors, made an effort,
4 TO raise, by proportionate assessment
on the stock, an amount sufficient to
4 pay the labor claims. The Hon. T..
I Breitung. the Hon. II. J. Cofwcll,
Secretary and Treasurer, Mcssrs.
Meeker. of Chicago, Fay, of Boston.
land others, made an earnest OF
their appreciation of labor claims by
1agreeing to contribute their proper
share. Mr.. Dreitung went East and
secured the cooperation of all the
stockholders, save one, in their hon
est endeavors to pay thc iaborcr his
Ehire. The agreement, however, was
on the condition that all the stock
holders contribute proportionately
to the fund. Mr.. Tilden was the last
stockholder invited into the arrange
ment.. He utterly refused to contrib
ute one cent. The stock was nom
assessable, hut under Michigan
law the Directors and stock
holders are individually liable fol
labor debts; .aa yet, as TildeH
remarked, he was too far away from
Michigan to be harmed by suits foi
the recovery of moneys due on ac'
count Of labor. No appeal, no argu,
ment, no threats, no entrcaty, could
call from his plethoric purse the sun
: of 81 800, the proportion found dut
on his stock. He declined to treal
with the agent who voluntarily en-.
deavored to settle the just claims o
Gus" laborers. So the scheme failed
{ and the workmen are still unpaid
Tilden, whose silver tongue Is ready
to sympathize with the idle artisan
is not the same when his gold Golfer
are called on to discharge homes
debts due the starving laborer. III
;, losta practical opportunity to exem
plar his Albany speech, but he has s.
! far saved his $l,30O,--a far create
satisfaction to his superannuate'
! avarice. -" " '.'''''.' .''''