The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-08-02
The Speech of vice-Presidentk eyscr
al the public Meeting in keyser
Last sunday Evening An Intel
Iigent Statement OF the Case Be-

Iigent Statement Of the Case Be-
tween the Company and the Ssrik-
Reported TOR the Daily News.
GYNTLEMEN:-I left Baltimore uneX-
pectedly this morning in consequence of
information received that there WAS serl-
Gus difficulty al Keyser. | am glad 20
be able TO address 50 many OF you, gem
tlemsn, citizens of this place and trust
u large proportion OF you present are
railroad men. | AIN gratilied TO meet
you here, for two reasons.
You have done me the honor to name
this place after me, and l have always
been gratifed to think that one OF the
numerous stations OF the line should bear
my name. l trust that the day may not
be tar distant when II may become one
OF the principal stations and most I'M
pOrtsnt business points on this
great railroad, and l do no think l
shall. be disappointed III that expeC tation.
A very serious crisis has arisen IN the
affairs OF this town, rs yell as IN the at.
fairs of the whole road. 1t mas gone
abroad u the whole world that this place
presents n serious AMI formidable obstacle
to the opening OF the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad tor traffic. The First and
Second divisions of the road are in active
ak successful operation. Twenty-Five TO
thirty trains nave passed over these two
divisions day, and | anticipate no d f.
ticulty whatever IN the prompt and ETH.
cienJ movement OF the trains hereafter,
but | WAS informed LnIs morning by wire
that y determined effort would be made
to stop the business al this point, and
that there WAS determination OF resis
lance OF so serious character that It was
thought advisable TO have additional
United States troops sent to this point.
How Tar these app 3arsnces Justify the
action taken, you, gentlemen, are as COM
petent TO Judge - | am. That there
was something at the bottom OF the re-
ports received IN Baltimore has become
evidenced by the tact that u train has
been stopped, and that violence has been
attempted within the past few hours,
within the limits OF this town.
| have been connected with this road
nearly sin wears, and my face Is doubt
les amiIar to q large number, II not to
all OF YOU railroad men present, and
many OF your faces are In mIisr to me. l
have gone up and down this road At
,L hours, day and night, and have done
so with perfect security and with as
much confidence OF safety rs | have
ever felt in my bed at home. And why?
Because l have always recognized that
this road has had in its service for vIgi-
lance sobriety and careiulness superior
class of men, and rs capable class ~ IN
ia t in any corporation in America, or
in tact IN the world. They have been
long in service. They have been tried
under great difficulties. They have
met danger in every shape and in
every form boldly, fearlessly and man
tuI!y.
A condition of affairs exists now that
| wish particularly to detail and draw to
the attention OF sll present, and | think
It has grown out of misrepresentation on
the part of you men in not understand
my the real state OF the case, and also
out OF misrepresentation on the part OF
the company, 10 very considerable eX
tent, of certain matters and questions IN
their bearings in relation to YOU men.
The Baltimore and Ouio company can
not afford (even It the officer desired IT.
to have IN It's service any large number o:
It's employees chrOnlCally dlsatfccted. 1t
would paraIyze and render inefficient all
branches OF the service, and if such dis
affection exists it must be rectfed and
cured.
On the 10th day OF July the company
SAW tit, under pressure OF great necessl-
" 10 order general reduction OF 10 per
cent IN the wages Of It's employees.
That order affected the president OF the
road and every man III the service down
to those who received one dollar per day.
That order WAS not issued without sin
cere regrets on the part OF the company.
IL was very undesirable for the COmpSny,
with wages already reduced, to be forced
into the position TO Issue such an order.
1t recognized that the times were hard
and that the great commercial depression
bore hard on all the men, rs it bears hard
on men in al vacations and all trades
this dav But it was An absolute necessl.
" that the reduction should be made, and
wish TO explain tire reasons why. In
the first place the Baltimore ana Ohio
railroad WAS brought into active cOmpe-
tition with the PeDnsy lyanis, New York
Central and Erie, sni other roads. IN ac-
dItlon to which 1t has had 10 compete
with the lakes and the Erie canal The
Baltimore and Ohio railroad, through
1 Of OIL
prompted by the desire to make It's large
investment pay, had extended lis lines
through new territory and into sections
OF the country not previously tributary
oft, which brought the company and the
city Of Baltimore into strong competition
with other roads leading 10 the aboard
cities. viz: Boston, New York and Phil
sde,phia. for different classes of freight to
and from the West.
This action of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad company was met by great op-
position from competitive roads leading
to the cities named, and q war broke ut
among the railroads which has been
wsged st intervals for nearly three
vesrs. Rates have been reduced until a.
times they reached point
when thousands Of Csr loads
passed over the road which did not
pay the wages OF the men employed in
maintaining the road and hauling the
trains. We were compelled to meet AL
these reductions from necessity; We mad
constructed line to Chicago; we had in
wasted millions i'll other enterprises; and
in order to make these investments pay
it was necessary for us TO get the bust
ness, and we had to compete sharply to
obtain it. The Baltimore and Ohio COM
psny was therefore compelled to place
itself rs TO rates in an attitude as favor
able AS the other roads competing with
it AS a consequence it had to reduce
its rates oil wages in order to transport