The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-10-04
The Pennsylvania Strikers.
THEIR STATEMENT OF GRIEVANCES

| THEIR STATEMENT OF dh1EN ANChos
To the Pennsylvania Railroad Company:
ave respectfully call your attention to
our grievances, in connection with your
road, for which many of US have been
employed for years. Our wages have
been from time to time reduced, so that
now many of US do not earn an average
of seventy-fve cents per day. We have
sympathized fully with your directors in
all their past efforts to further the inter-
ests of your company, and accepted the
situation so long as it guaranteed to us a
bare living, but in the last move to many
of us was guaranteed pauper's home,
and this, too, when your more fortunate
directors were luxuriating at summer re-
sorts in princely style. To this comfort
able enjoyment on their part, under most
circumstances, it is not our province to
complain, but when the result of this dis
sipation and fashionable folly is visiting
the starving firesides of their employees,
it does become us to protest. 1t may be
that the above does not point to you def
nitely now the present, to us, unhappy
state of affairs as influenced by the acts
of your managers. To elucidate, we will
cali your attention to few facts, showing
that it is not the depression of business
that compels your directors to starve us
and our families, but the unbusiness- like
management of the affairs of your road.
FEW CASES CITED
ave will cite few cases in point.
Last year your road received some, mark
the figures, seven million dollars for
freight on oil shipped by the Standard
and other refining interests, not owned
by the Empire, Potts, or other Pennsyl-
vania outside interests. Prior to these
large shipments being drawn upon the
Pennsylvania railroad, freight to the sea-
board was about eighty cents per barrel,
but so soon as interests were harmOnized
the Pennsylvania railroad received two
dollars per barrel for the same service,
seven-eights of which was paid by the
foreign buyers. Not satisfied with this
immense increase of their revenues from
legitimate source, the influence of your
road was used to destroy the business of
its best customer for the purpose OF build
ing up individual interest, from which
you, the stock holders, have income. And
what is the result9 The traffic has almost
disappeared from the Pennsylvania rail
road, and in place of seven millions in
come this year, in which the shipments
are in excess of last year, your road will
scarcely receive one-half the amount
We call your attention to this fact, which
alone would have enabled your company
to pay us at least enough for living.
Then, again, your road has been used for
over twenty-five years transporting coal
to the seaboard from western mines at a
price which would barely pay for motive
power. Competition did not necessitate
this service. In this item alone "mil-
lions have been lost to your road" while
that healthy competition in trade which
is the life of road was totally crushed
out by the discouragements given to other
shippers.
A FEW PERTINENT QUESTIONS.
eve again call your attention to the
existence of the many "fast freight lines"
which run upon your road, from which
you only receive a small pittance, while
others, who should have your interests at
heart, are sapping the very life blood from
your road for their own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Then in the passenger service the same
indifference to your interests is clearly
shown. 1t is only necessary to watch
each through train to see how it is over
loaded with cars belonging to foreign
corporation, which pays SOC. to 81 so per
car dividends annually to their stock
holders, among which you will find many
familiar faces. This comfort traffic is not
alone in this drain upon your passenger
trains-as the express traffic for which
you receive small return, will frequent
ly in fruit and oyster season, have one or
two extra sessions on passenger schedule.
Have you ever examined how much your
road gets for this servicea Then, again,
is it good economy that your road should
allow a single firm to pocket hundreds of
thousands annually for what should be
your earnings for clerical transfer SER
vice! In the few of many similar points
above noted, is it not possible that your
road loses annually more than her pres
ent income from all other sourcesl We
think we can with business and hope for
better things in the future, lay our griev-
ance before you; and assure you if you
do not give the sane vigilance to your in
terests in this company that we are COM
PEELED to give in our duties upon the road,
you will in a few years have wreck be-
yond repair for your indifference. Do
not let high sounding titles or positions
deter you from action, when you have
the examples of Jay Cook & Co., Tweed S
National Trust Company, the Freedman 5
Bank, ETC., ETC., to tell you that high
toned reputation, without strict business