The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-07-26
CAUSES OF THE STRIKE

The riotous demonstrations which
have disgraced the country, and lowered
our standing in the eyes OF the civilized
world, during the past week, must be
suppressed at any cost. There Is no ex-
cuse for o resort to violence, rapine and
bloodshed. Every man who pleases has
perfect right to strike, but he has no
right to set the laws of the land at defl-
aIce or to destroy the lives or property
of his neighbors. The present strike Is
the most formidable the world has ever
known and it's end is hard to foresee.
That it must be brought to an end. that
law and order must be restored as soon
as the strong arm of the law can COM
pei, must be apparent to even the mad
dest of the men now engaged in it. No
| other outcome can be thought of for
moment.
| The causes that have led to this unfor-
tunate outbreak will be fruitful subjects
of discussion among political economists
and politicians. While the employees
! are the apparent aggressors, and while
| they cannot be held guiltless of a large
share of responsibility for the destruc-
ton of life and property that has taken
place, they were not without strong
provocation. There is no Disgusting the
| fact that the management of many OF
the leading railroads in this country has
| been reckless to the verge OF crlminal1ty.
Gambling in stocks, forming crushing
combinations, and generally schemlng
to enrich themselves and break down
each other, has been the main business
of the chief officers and directors of
many of the strongest companies in the
country for years, until in the minds of
many of the youth of the land the only
| business of railroad president was to
| bull and bear the stock market. So long
as times were good this did well enough.
1t was easy to make money and there
was plenty for all. The panic of 1873
caused depression of business and it
was most severly felt by the railroads.
Stocks shrank from 100 to 500 per cent.
and dividends with many became dream
of the past.
| The general crippling of business
| caused decrease in transportation and
| there was heavy shrinkage in carrying
rates between the West and the East.
| Within the past two years we have all
grown familiar with the great ''wars"
| between the trunk lines to secure pas
senger and freight traffic. 1t went on
| till the roads were carrying freight for
less than the cost of the axle-grease used.
The canals reduced their rates and took
hand in the fight, and they succeeded
in getting the lions share of the work.
Last year the roads carried As. 6 per cent
of the grain East this year they were
reduced to ola per cent. AS matter
of course this didn't pay. 1t is hard to
see just what the companies could have
hoped to make by this ruinous compe-
tition.
Tt cannot be doubted that the best
brains in the country are managing the
railways, but they certainly were at fault
| in this matter. 1t may be that there
were too many trunk lines, but did this
war crush any of them out ? Is there
any evidence anywhere of a main line
being closed up by making war on it
and carrying freight and passengers for
less than cost
None of the roads made anything.
The income was insufficient and to make
good the loss the pay of employees was
cut down. This was in many cases
necessity none the less imperative be-
cause it was partially occasioned by the
| mismanagement of the companies. The
roads were compelled to economic OF
else go into bankruptcy. 1t was unfor-
tunate that many of the men whose pay
was cut were already getting barely star
walton wages. On the Baltimore q Ohio
road, where the strike originated, the
new rate would give trainmen but $1.35
per day for four days in the week. They
could not pay their expenses on the road
and support their families ON this, and
it was only human nature to protest
against it. They are not the only suf-
ferers, for the stockholders have seen
their property go down from 165 a few
years ago to 80.
The same facts seem to hold with re-
gard to other roads. The inference to
be drawn is that there are too many roads
for the work to be done, just now, and
that too many men are depending on
railroading for a livelihood. The effort
to restore balance hurts, and both the
companies and the employees are suffer
ers. While the painful transition is 60
ing on it is folly to charge that either
one side or the other must be held re-
sponsible for the evils which thinking
men everywhere deplore. What is need
ed now is spirit of patience and mutual
concession. The situation is bad enough
as it is, and stubbornness and unreason
would only make it worse.
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