The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-07-27
County and City Official Press.
Friday, July q, 1877.
RAILROAD STRIKES.

ia lLn0AO - IA II GA,.
The view Of the great railroad strikes
in the Eastern States, looks odd to 3
Pacific Coast man. The total suspen.
sion Of wha. are called accommodation
trains; the scores and hundreds OF mon
on, of work and their little ones clam
orous for bread the long files Of soi-
diers guarding the property Of the
railroad compAni"s all 60 TO make mp
a picture that our eyes have never yet
bshe!d. While We firmly believe tina,
law should he enforced and the pro-
per.y Of all protected, yet the present
outbreak is the legitimate result Of a
series of abuses which has culmlnated
most aerously for their perpetrators.
The railroads In the United States
may be divided into two c'a,ses--ttose
which pay dividends and those which
do tot. Prominent among the former
may be found the Pennsylvania Cen
trail railroad, controlled by Tom Scott,
as he is called. This road paid divi-
dsnds o. eight per cent. per annam last
year and carried million Of dollars
into sinking fund. And this is what
is called an honestly managed road,
aud Is Que Of the few where All account.
ing between the stockholders aud the
officers takes place
The other class Of railroad, is bv far
tho most numerous. and to i, belongs
the Erie which carries more passengers
and freight for its length than any
other two roads in America, and has
never paid dividend to any one. As
long rs employees sec that stockholders
receive dividends, they may submit pa
tieutly Ia reductions OF wages; but
when the steallngs and protligacies Of
officers arc notorious and the money
which should g. to the stockholders. is
appropriated to the officers in the way
Of excessive salaries. then begins the
trouble The employees then only re-
gard reduction Of wages AZ attempts to
rob them as we'll IS the stockholders,
and they are not far from right. either.
The brakeman or fireman toiling for
his scanty dollar per day has nothing
better 10 look forward to and for that
reason does not wish 10 encounter any
thing worse. Who build the most cx-
pensive dwellings IN the land and fur.
nish them with the greatest Injuries?
The officers Of railroads. Who pay the
most fabulous prices for trot,ipg horses!
Officers Of railroads. Whose wives
give parties equal IN gaudy Splendor to
the levees of queens Again we An
swsr. the railroad officers James Fisk
squAndered upwards OF sixty thousand
dollars on lewl women alone. in the
last four years OF his incteoric life Aud
his career found thousands Of iml,ators,
even though their profigscy may no.
b. 80 openly walton and audsclous IS
that which characterized the Prince O,
Erie"
II is enough 10 work for bare pit.
lance. amid heat and cold, year in and
year out, without reducing that pit,ance
still lower. II reform il the cxpendi-
lures Of railroads Is necessary. why not
begin at tho officers Why pay - rot :
ten old politician like Dudley Field
nine thousand dollars year salary. a.
attorney for railroad. ard Gu, John
Saith. the brakeman. down from one
dollar To seventy five cents and this.
too, with beef AMI -four twenty five per
cent higher than ia July Of last year :
Ii is useless 10 argue that these men may
take hold OF something else. il they
don't like the reduction OF wages. They
have devoted lifetime, ia most in
stances. 10 acquire s knowledge of rail-
roads and they should he protected in
their knowledge Of the business
The railroad system of America is
rotten la the core AMI needs total re-
formation. There must he total ahoI-
ishment Of sinecure positions for the
poor relations Of wealthy Stockholders
ar the seesnd cousins Of bsok~pay Con-
gressmen. Men mus, lie chosen on the
test O. ability and nos on sha, of rcla-
sionship There must Ice no fancy sal
aries 10 political attorneys nor false
vouchers for needless repairs The rail
road lords have last about eight millions
in property in eudesvoring - save two
millions III wages The lesson laugh.
them has been one Of unususl severity
sui the only wonder was tha, i. was 50
long deferred
lNeRoyiNo.--The gravegl!ng ,ictaeh-
ment Oh the line Of the : & W. " Il
Il, have finished up nearly - steele.