The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-08-01
The Railroad Strike.
RED WING, July 18th II.

tracing serious attention and Is really
alarming. was glad to see that in
last weeks ADVANCE you treated this
question SO impartially and trcthlully'
What you then said is right. rs l know
by my own experience and observation.
Those men have been working for the
past five years 1T very low wages, they
have lived in the smallest and cheapest
houses and practiced every possible
economy. Frequently their poverty has
led them to demonstrate with their en-
ployers and they have been told by
these that business would soon improve
and the earnings Of the railroads in
crease, in which event their wages
would be restored to the former stan
dard. This story has been told them
when those who utterdd it must have
known that any prospect Of improve
ment was very distant and exceedingly
doubtful. The object of the employers
has been to prevent the dispersion Of
their men, for they wished to keep them
where they could make their services
available when the demand for the re-
moval of freight made the business
active. And right here let me call your
attention to Il circumstance which is
not generally thought Of in this connec-
ton. There are two seasons Of the
year when the shipment Of freights over
railroads are very much greater than at
other times. Of course, this calls into
requs:tion the services Of more men
than are needed during the duller peri
DDS. As the competition between the
companies is sharp and INSCRIPTIONS
each one strives to move all the freights
it can during these busy seasons, and
they seek to keep men enough to per-
form this extra labor in such positions
that they can call them into service ut
the shortest possible notice. This ex-
plains why railroad employees arc so
often reduced to short time and, indeed,
it accounts partially for the low wages
paid them.
It will thus be understood how it
happens that railroad employees are
constantly lead to hope for better times
and to retain their situations until re-
duced to positive restitution. Instead,
however, Of their expectations being
realized, their wages have been success.
sively ground down, until they have
reached Il sum which no humane en-
ployer would have the heart to offer to
those engaged in his service. This is
how it happens that men,, having fami-
lies to support, are now at the point of
starvation. They were first put upon
short time, then their wages were re
duced two or three times, and those
who demurred were silenced by fattering
prospects of an early restoration to full
time and good pay. But they again
find themselves asked to submit to a
further reduction Of from ten to fifteen
per cent. Many who are first class
mechanics and formerly earned from
$3.50 to $3.50 per day have been re-
duced to from SIG to $50 per month, a
sum entirely insufficient to support
them. What were they to do? Could
they calmly listen to their children cry
ang for bread and see the wives whom
they had promised to support msciat-
ed by hunger? Assuredly not. The
situation rendered them desperate.
They had already listened to the false
pretenses Of their employers until they
found themselves in utter helplessness,
and could no longer put faith in any.
thing these might say. They had even
been subject to the humiliation of accept.
ing charity from the generously dispos
ed, but their numbers and fearful con
dition of want constituted 4 burther
too enormous for even The active ant
well organized benevolent association:
of Our cities to attempt to carry. Where
then, could they look for relief? Wher,
was it natural for them to look for it
but to the force of their own strong arm
and stout hearts. Moralists might de
nounce them, governmental authcritie
might punish them, society might con
denim them as rufians and outlaws. IN
the pangs of hunger and the woes O
want were paramount to all these con
siderat!ons. Theorists might CLAIM