Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-24
rbe Co,onel wadley monument.
The following protest appeared IN the
Montgomery EUeRing Courier of the 18th:

The Colonel Wadley Monument
The following protest appeared IN the
Montgomery EUeRing Courier Of the 18th:
PROTEST.
WHEREAS. a circular issuing from
Headquarters at Savannah has been dis
tributed over the line of the Central Rail
road and its branches, in effect calling on
all employees for a contribution for 10 per
cent. Of one months salary or wages, to
erect a monument IN memory OF the late
W. VI. W adley. Below we offer our protest
against such a measure, and submit our
reason therefor.
In is a fact. beyond dispute, that Col.
Wadlev was a railroad man of trst rank,
and that during his long connection with
the Central Railroad, he gave his utmost
energies to the task OF promoting the IN
terests of the stockholders. At the same
time. no employee Of the road or its
branches. has retained position, or risen
in the same, without hard or assiduOus
labor on his own part, and none but gave
ample value received for all money he
NAV have drawn from the Golfers OF
the Central Railroad. Therefore, since
the life and labOrs Of Colonel Wad-
lev accrued only to the benefit of the cor
poratiOn and stockholders, out of the
thousands of dollars accumulated to the
company by his efforts, we think, should
come the testimonial of his worth.
Hundreds of men in the employ of the
company can i'll afford the slightest de-
ductiOn from their hard-earned wages,
and. if forced to give of their paltry earn
ings. instead of having feeling OF JuOlla-
ton. would only nurse in their bosoms
bitterness toward the management.
Therefore. we. employees Of the road, do
utter this, our protest, against such as
sessment and think that the real bene-
ficiaries of Colonel Wadley's labors
should testify to his worth.
Many of our own dear ones sleep in
omen plots. with naught but 1.-THE creeping
grass" to mark the doorway they entered
through to eternity, and we feel that more
glory to us will come by erecting, with
our small amounts, simple slabs to their
memory.
The above is not written in any spirit
inimicable to Colonel Wadley, for we hold
in highest veneratiOn his memory, and this
memory will always live an eternal mOnu-
ment to him. MANY EMPLOYEES.
The telegraph and Messenger of Macon,
commenting on the above, says:
sit is very evident that the writer Of
this article is labOring under misappre-
hension of the facts in reference to the
proposed monument to the late Colonel
VIM. NJ. Wadiey.
in the second place he does not voice
the sentiments of many employees
This will be plain when it is known that
the local board at this place, which APP
pointed six committees, being one COM
mittee for each of the following depart
ments: Car department, motive depart
ment, Central Roadway, Southwestern,
Montgomery and Eufaula Railroad
train service. Southwestern Railroad and
Macon agency, have so far received re-
ports from the Macon agency and Gen.
traI Roadway and the motive department
committees. who have enrolled I2o names
and secured $2,2S2 70. The other three
committees are yet to hear from, ais the
engineers and tiremen of the motive de-
partment. When these reports are IN, 1t
is confidently expected that the above
amount will be doubled.
st will be seen that responses have
been both liberal and cheerful, and hence,
the writer OF the article above quoted
could not. as he would have the public be-
lieye. have represented Many Employees.
I'VE are informed by A. G. Knapp,
Esq who is the Agent OF the Central at
this place. and also Secretary of the Local
Board. that by the terms of the circular
issued-setting forth the objects of the as
sociation. and to which Many Employees
alludes in his COMMUNICATIONS the
subscriptions are entirely voluntary. and
that the movement originated with the
employees of the company, and that no
circular has been issued either from tile
Headquarters Of the company or by the
authority Of its management.
1T is intended by the employees OF the
company 10 put in durable and substan-
tial form this evide nee Of their apprecia-
ton of the life and services Of their Ia
mented chief. as well as their remem-
brance of his kindness and generosity to
Them
In response to the protest the following
has been received by the MORNING NEWS
with a request for its publication:
Editor Morning NeirS: We, as en-
ploves of the Central Railroad, know that
the author of the above protest is not an
employee. or MANY Employees" of the
Central Railroad, as all employees who
subscribe their names here do so Volun-
tarily. The lists in all the departments
were placed where all could see them.
No persuasion was used. ANY employe
who wished to become member OF this
association had the right to do so. A
great number of the late Presidents
friends. outside of the railroad employees,
asked the privilege of becoming members,
The request was refused, because the en-
ploves wished to erect the monument
themselves to show. in this manner, their
great love and respect for their deceased
President. The anonymous writer Oh tne
protest should have seen the great man at
the bedside of the poorer ones OF his
diving employees during the scOurge Of
1876. He should have seen him again in
1877, when committee from each depart
ment asked him not to reduce their wages,
as they had not recovered from the effects
of the dreadful season Of 1876. With tears
rolling down his cheeks he told the COM
mittee how hard it was tor him to issue
the order for a reduction. He only con-
scented to do it, he said, because the
widows and the orphans were appealing
to him for dividends. At the request of
the committee he did suspend the or
der of reduction three months. We
do not believe the above protest was got
ten up by an employe, or by "Many En-
pIOyes" of the Central Railroad, and we
do not believe that any employe OF the
railroad indOrses it.
CrN-rpAT RAITpOAD EMPLOYEES