Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-06-06
STILL DOWN. DOWN

The Pennsylvania Railroad Compa.
ny, on the lst of June, reduced the
wages of every officer and employe
who was receiving over one dollar per
day, ten per cent We adopt tho views
of the Altoona Tribune on this subject
ave would rather II were not SO, but
there comes up in the history of cor
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oSssity Oi seuehchihv., ;, alfd sVlI'bfvs'
srvation becomes the inexorabe gov.
erning principle of their business, The
Pennsylvania Railroad Company has
reached that stage of depression in the
country, that reduction .of. wages is
an imperative necessity in order that
its credit be not impaired, and its cap.
ital imperiled The continued pres.
sure of the shrinkage of values, the
cessation of work in the mining and
manufacturing regions, the falling Of
in merchandise, and the reduced con.
sumption felt in oil parts OF the coun.
try, have affected carrying companies
receipts more seriously than those OF
any other combination, for the reason
that the personal and real property re.
quired to conduct such operations in.
volve an amount of capital second on.
ly to that which is used to carry on
the government, State or National.
Of all the roads in the country, the
Pennsylvania has been the most liberal
and patcrnal in its action towards its
employees of all grades. This company
has never had difficulty of any con.
sequence with its manual labor since
its existence, while the employees Of
other companies have had angry dis
putes, and destructive collisions with
theirs, causing great loss to the stock.
holders and immense expense to the
State, by way of military interference
before they were ended. This compa.
ny, since its existence, has never been
compelled to ask the authorities to in.
terfere between it and its employees,
and has never had a general "strike"
along its line. This is the proper time
to adduce such facts that the en-.
ployes may be reminded of the past,
when the condition of business justified
the company in rewarding them libcr.
ally for their services, so that they may
understand fully that the present re-
duction is the effect of counter inhu.
ences, growing out OF conditions of bu-
siness diametrically different from those
of ordinary prosperity. Those who
know Col Scott, and particularly the
rialroadcrs who have been connected
with him for years, will understand
how long be has waited, and how re-
luctant he must have been to recon.
mend reduction of this kind. He
was forced to it by prcssurcs to which
men less sympathetic with the indus.
try with which he has been associated
for years, would have yielded long
since. He only gave way after every
test bad been tried after the regions
whence freight is usually carried had
failed in their production, maintaining
his road in the meantime, by economy
which did not effect its labor, so that
when this reduction came, it was be-
cause every business consideration
made it necessary, and no human
power could longer avert it. THIS the
whole community understands and
appreciates, and this those who are di.
rectly affected by Col. SCOTS last cir.
cular, should accept cheerfully as the
ruling of inexorable financial condi.
ton"