The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-07-28
AWortl % sallroatI OnIeIaIa.

press.ieederS, porterS, office boys and Gre.
men, better wages than the great Balti.
more and Ohio Railroad has been paying
its train hands. Railroads have been
struck harder than any other Of the great
interests Of the country, and in their Of.
fort to keep up their credit and the stand.
ing Of their stock and bonds in the com.
mercial world have crippled Themselves
financially 10 such an extent that gen.
eral curtailment oil expenses are neCes.
Sary. But II this striking down on sala.
ries to point below the requirements Of
life has been for the purpose Of continu.
Ing to pay eight or ten per cent diyi-
dends, then they have committed a great
wrong which should be remedied al the
earliest practicable moment. They have,
in that case, taken advantage Of the ne.
cessitiea OF their employees and driven
them into open resistance to what they
conceive TO be both tyranny and oppres.
sion. They may complain Of the men
combining for mutual protection, but are
there no evidences in this strike that the
railroads had also formed a combination
against the men? On the 18th Of July all
the five trunk lines ordered a reduction
Of the wages Of their lremen TO the ex.
tent Of ten per cent. That this stimuli.
taneous act was the result OF combina.
ton will scarcely be disputed. II, there.
fore, the officials Of different railroads
have the right to combine to force down
wages no one can dispute the right OF the
men to combine to prevent their reduc.
ton. But in so doing they must commit
no unlawful act, infringing private rights.
We yesterday appealed to the men to
tender their services to resume work and
trust to the sense OF justice Of the Presi-
dent and Directors to remedy their griev-
ances on y Just and equitable basis. But
we are met with the assurance that II is
the present purpose oil the company not
to receive back into their employ any Of
the men who have taken an active part
in this strike. II this is the case another
grievous mistake Is being made, and one
that public opinion will not sustain them
in enforcing. There Bhonld be spirit
Of Cancellation Gvinced upon both sides
and n respectful hearing given to the
men. Had this been done before the
strike there would in all probability have
been no strike. Sooner or later public
opinion will settle down to the Convic.
ton that railroad officials have no right,
on mere question Of dignity or desire
for revenge, to allow difference between
them and their employees to create a great
public grievance.
II the difficulty could be harmonized
here ut once, the strike would be at an
end in two days and all the roads would
be in working trim. We conceive il to
be the duty Of the officials, in view OF
the great business interests that are in
volved, to take such measures as are
most likely to bring about this much dc.
sired result. Aspirit Of Cancellation on
their part and an assurance that no vim
dictiye spirit will be shown by them in
recognizing the working force Of their
road would bring the best Of their ex'
perienced and skilled force hack to them.
Ask them 10 tCome to work, with the as.
surance Of Il liair conference and re.
spectful hearing after the excitement is
over, and We have not q particle Of doubt
but that they will gladly return to their
engines and trains.
That the strikers had serious grew
ance brief statement Of their case will
show. In May last the following were,
we see it stated, the rates paid to the
men now striking on Lthe lines we name
below:
FirCmen. llrAkCmen.
Baltimore & Ohlo-........ 81 5Val rs ST 6Oll IS
Philadelphia, Whining
ton 4 BaltlmOrC.......... f3l2 20 / T5ll %
Pennsy lvanlA New Jer-
scy DiviSlOn) ..m".".I 30, O0A2 10
70, 2ta2 sc 7jA2 90
New York CentrRl........I %, l GOAL 70 l G5a2 05
These rates have since then been re.
duced ten per cent, and on this reduction
followed the strike. 1t should be under
stood also that the strikers claim that
they got at these rates only about three
or at most four tull days work in the
week, and arc much away from home and
on expense. This it is which enables
both the Baltimore and Pennsylvania
strikers TO say that at the reduced rates
they can make only about seventy.fve
cents per day. The managers, OF course,
reply that the times are hard, the roads
not earning much, and that reduction
is necessary; but to this the strikers re.
Join by pointing out that the Baltimore
& Ohio road, on which the strike began,
continue 10 pay ten per cent dividends;
that the Pennsylvania paid eight, and
now pays six; some Of the other roads
pay eight, and the Eric pays no dividends
ut all, but has been SO notoriously mis-
managed and robbed that it is wrong 10
ask the workmen to bear the brunt OF the
difficulties.
The revolt Of the train men would not
have had 30 great share Of the sympa.
thy OF the public il il were not generally
known that, rs those OF the Pennsylvania
Road say in an address recently issued,
that "the railroad has been managed 10
further private interests at the expense Of
the Company, and that thus the Company
is impoverished while some OF its mana
gers have grown rich; that with good and
faithful management the Company would
be able TO pay living wages; and that the
trainmen make now only about seventy
five cents per day, on which they cannot
support their families" They assert
shat managers and directors are inter
ested in fast freight lines and other spe.
cial enterprises, which tbleed the Rail
road Company for the benefit Of these
special and priviledged undertakings"
And they allIde 10 the watering Of stock,
on which the managers claim the right
to extra dividends, as the workmcn say,
"by cutting down wages"
But these charges, even il proven, do
not Justify unlawful acts and a continue.
ton OF violence, either in the stopping Of
trains, the intimidation Of men anxious
to work or in the work Of arson and
bloOdshed in which their sympathizers
have involved them. Another such out.
break as that at Baltimore and Pitts.
burgh will bring upon them the indigna-
ton Of the whole country and an explo.
sion Of public indignation which will
crush them and render their attempt TO
stop the running Of trains as futile a. il n
swarm Of lilies were to bar the way OF the
locomotive.
The public opinion which demands the
restoration Of trade and travel over the
Baltimore Soho road recognizes that the
managers are partly chargeable with the
recent deplOrable events. They have not