, 1877-07-20

resumption mill better VT aihcr.
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THE RAILROAD sTI1KE.
The old story Of the conflict between cn-
r1oycra aud employed il once mors il:ustra:-
cd in tito strike Of tho enrIoye es Of Tho Ball
timoro t. Ohio Railroad, and It is% tl,e same
old story Of the ncccssitios Of the employers
nrt1 the Inconsistencies Of Tho employ ed.
Tie Baltimore 4 Ohio Road. in common
with Tie other railroads OF tle country, WIN
recently compelled TO rc.lucc Tue wagcs of
cersain c1nsscs OF It's employees 20 per cent.
The reason IL obvious NJ Glars Of business
in this country tas been so broken up aud
para'yzcl ns railroad property alnce tho
panic. There Inns been MI actual loss during
the past three years Of twenty-five hundred
millions Of do1lars, stun greater than tho
whole bonded debt of tin United Stssos.
This property haa heen literally swept out
OF tho 1antls Of Its owners. The enormous
extent Of This loss may be appreciated when
wc con4ider that il all tho ba,f;a In tic coun-
Try should break, one-half Of them paying
nothing as,l onc-hnlf 20 csuts OIL tho t1ollnr,
It would not bo worse than this terrible
sl.rinkage Of railroad va'ucs. Tho Ualti-
moro l. Ohio Railroad llas not been
mn exception to The rule. It WIS
supposed 10 be tho strongest road
In tho country. It was consersativcly,
carefully, aud prt,dently managed. liz hontl-
ell debt WAS small ns compared with Tho
vnluo Of the road, md overy one supposed 1t
woull be the very last to feel tho effects Of
tjs, 1.op 1Srnrot1
however, that It il no exception to other
roatls, mud that tho same pressure brought to
bear upon II produces tho saulo effects ns IN
tho cnse OF other ronds. 1ts earnings, re-
ccip.s, and profits hasc fallen Oh. Its stock
has lcprcciated one-half aud il going lower.
When once great corporation ia down, there
is lttlo popular sympathy for 1t; on the
other hand, there nro plenty 10 kick 1t. Tho
fnliing of In tho general business Of tho
country has been followed by falling of In
the business of the road until its valuo ii
sQuoczud ont Of It. In such an emergency
shcro is no rcsouroo left but reduction in
orcry department Of wages to 'ncet tllo retluc-
tion Of business md to Bavo tho property.
OF course this is severe upon tho employees
u t1N NNHHN454 oAk ~ %AA4Vt 1o a4Iii'CAf
and their present ntsitu:lo ii not going to ro.
iicvo them. II these men think that they can't
tnke tho wages offered them, they can step
out anl lot others tako t11oir places
who feel that they can live upon
tho wages. They cannot compel tile road 10
lire them at any wagoi, with All tho force
they may employ, nor can any ono else un-
f,,u &1,o., nf In f1,o
Company nhould <s,duco their wagas to u
cent dag, they laaye but one privilege in
the promises. They hare the right to ank
for IN increase. and, If tho request III re-
f,,scd, they hare tic right to step out.
Thoro Is no law TINT iixes their wagea. Theru
II no law that can compel tho Company to
hiro them. They hayo just tho sa,no right to
compel tho Company to l,irs them a. 1argcr
wnJes than it can afforl to pay that the
Company Inns to co,npo! s'iom to labor for
lass wages thnn they cal live upon. When
The times improve, business increases, AMI
there Is demand for mon, wages will in-
crease, but when tho times ara hard and
business decreases, and the demand for men
falls Oh, then wagcs must fall of or the road
must stop running. Thsro Is no help for 1t,
aud 1t would bo just rs consistent for tho
Company to turn out aud mob tho employees
for askipg au increas, VI it il for tho
employees to turn out and attack Gao
Company's property, aud mob those who aro
willing to work because tic Company 70.
fuscs to increase. 1t Ii m Interference not
only will. tho Companys operations and tho
right Of those who aro willing TO work, but
also will. tho general business Of shippers,
which cannot botooseverely criticised or too
kumsuarily stopped.
The reduction Of wages by this particular
Company is only oue Of tho o1cc.a of tho
hard times, and It cannot bo rcn,odted until
tie times grow castor. Tho railroal uH.
rioyes cannot hopo to escape thor propor-
sion Of suffering frou. tho general tlolres-
slot, any moro than others. They aro not
tho only oneH who aro required to liro upon
less wages. Employers aro suffering as woll
~ on,ploycs, ap.t oil olasses Of laboriug mcn
n,slst expect to feel tho gripo Of tho pressure
Tho farmers perhaps feel II leas than otlors,
for nat'lro never fails to yield her rich pro-
ducts, mud II has beon their good fortune
10 obtain fair prices ami buy necessities
cl,caply. anl yet oyen they complain Of Aarl
time2. In tho towns and citiea whcro peoplu
laayo invested their money In railroad Stocks
In ycssels, real estate, aud other values that
have beon squcozed dry, shore IN no llopo Of
saving tue property except by the practice Of
rigid ecouoiny, and nowhere il this moro in,-
pcrativo than in railroad property. II these
ta.fn Ill r.