The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-10-23

employed. This proposal proceeds on
the assumption that railroad employees
are in a condition to purchase
homesteads, and that they receive a.
sufficient compensation to enable them
to become stockholders after paying
living expenses. 1t is possible there
are a few well-salaried officers who
might comply with such recommends
ton. but the great mass of them, es-
pecially those who have families to
support, could have no means to spare
]" There never should be IA labor
strike on a railway. and / doubt If.
there ever would be if both sides could.
be made to realize how interviewer
their interests are. Railway employees
cannot prosper unless the railway
is prosperous; neither can railway
prosper unless its employees are pros
porous; their interests are necessarily
mutual. since the one is dependent UP
on the other, and anything that is cal
culated to disturb that relationship
should be frowned down. If that
principle were clearly understood aud
applied there would be no reason for
complaint on either side. / think the
employees should have the largest pos
sible wages, but the money invested in
the property should have the right to
secure Weld. Both have rights, and
each should respect the rights of the
other" -
Further on. Mr.. Gould suggests that
railroad employees should purchase
n0mesteads on the line of the road.
and become stockholders. in the COM
pany.
To this theory Of Jay Gould there
will probably be no dissent as to its
equity, but there is an If or two in his
very plausible suggestion which is not
easily obyiated. The difficulty IS, In
applying the principle. In order to
reach the result at which he aims. he
assumes railroad employees to be able
to secure homes on the line OF the
road, and put their savings into the
stock of the company, and thus become
sharers in the earnings of the road En-
this way mutual interests would bic
for investments of the kind mentioned.
It is hardly supposable that one in
twenty of those employed in. services
connected with railroads has moaey to
spare to invest in stock. = rs i.
Even if the plan suggested by Gould
was feasible, and would put the rail-
road employees in better circumstances
what would be done with the, tinnimr
bered thousands who are engaged jim
building the railroads? These are
not salaried men, but dayolaborers
their wages are comp arativefy small
With them investments for prpfs are
next to impossible, particularly when
they have families to support Take
for example the laborers employed on
the railroad now in progress OF, build
ing through the western part ofvKeno
sha county. They are paid one,dollal
and fifty cents per day, the great ma
jority are obliged to hire board al
farm. houses near the line of the road
for which the current price is three
/ L.. :
dollars a week; deduct the cost Of
board from a weeks earnings, and il
leaves the net earnings Of the laborel
a little over ninety cents day. Then
deduct lost time for rainy days anl
weather llnsuited for outdoor W ork, fol
sick days and accidents; it will appear
sufprising how a working man Of this
class provides food, shelter and cloth
| ing for his family, without including
medical services incurred, to which
every family is liable. Talk of isucl
working men subscribing for railroad
stock, or any other stock of the great
moneyed corporations, is tTifing with
humanity. Now it will be admitted
that nothing said in this article: solves
the labor problem. It remains fol
wiser minds than have yet treated tht
subject to make clear the solution.