The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-03-31
SUPERIOR. WIS.,. SATURDAY. MAR. 81. 1855.
Are we to Become a Nation of
Anarchists.
From the American.

dlldI CulS US.
From the American.
History repeats itself not in the natural
form, but its essential principles. In the feudsl
.. ages the great barons divided the land ard
fought for supremacy, devastating the country
and bringing ruin on the producing classes They
soon became more powerful than the government
aud assumed dictate its policy In the present
age the great associations and CORPORATIONS have
y taken the place of the baroHs, and in defiance to
to the government wage their wars To the bitter
end The rights and interests Of the people
reckes.ly disregarded, while those gigantic forces
struggle for selfish gain. Vast business interests
are Frustrated. The law is invoked and defed
and Anarchy gloats PROSTATE order aud
taun,ingly launts its hiIeous banner in the face
of society.
The daily journals cooly state incidental
L item of news that the engineers on the great
I. Santa Fe system have struck, and consequently
the entire line is tied up. What reason is assign
=: ed?
=. 30 violation of contract Is claimed against the
railroad Upon the other hand, 1t Is admitted
D ty. that a contract entered into between the
Santa Fe system and the engineers, by which the
latter agreed not to quit work without giving q
months notice. Suddenly and without warning
they left their engines and refused to work. as
signing a reason that the Santa Fe System WAS
hauling ears belonging to the Burlington railroad
against which the Brotherhood of Locomotive
6 Engineers claim TO have grievance. As 10 the
original difference between the Burlington rail
road and the Brotherhood we know nothing, and
weare not prepared to say W hich party is to blame
That railroads have been oppressive in many in
stances we are fully prepared TO believe, and up
on the other hand prepared to believe
that they cheated and swndl sfain many eases
by the public. What we want to empathize here
is the method taken by the Brotherhood in the
fha..o
of the Santa Fe, is violation Of public rights
which should be with the stern hand of the
gov eminent unless it be too embecile to deal
with such matters. 1t is simple thing To order
strike. Who pays for it? Not the railroads
The passenger and freight tariffs fixed at
rate that will pay dividends on the stock.
Every strike rises the tariff Even if rate,
fixed by law, the commission or general govern
would be compelled to fix rates that would
pay expenses and interest. If the expenses ola
road be increased the business decreased by
strike it is clear that the road will charge higher
transportation 10 make up the deficiency; and it
is compelled to do could not have rail-
roads Few of the railroads owned by the
men who operate them. They great borrow
of money and generally heavily mortgag
ed They must pay interest on their bonds or go
To the wall. Even such great trunk line the
Baltimore * Ohio was recently forced to comply
with the demands Cf capital
The Burlington road had refused to. join the
other road in advancing freight This strike
has forced chem To do
The effect then of every strike is to increase
rates of transportation. The innocent people
pay the losses
This. however, is bat trine Of the loss sustain
cd by the people. For every engineer that refuses
to work ten laboring men in the yards, mach
Inc shops etc. thrown out of employment
Goods in transit are delayed; business becomes
stagHant; building throughout the region trlyers-
ed by that railroad ceases, and untold loss comes
10 the community. For what? In order that a
Few men may receive greater compensation for
their labor. This is undemocratic. 1t reverses
all the bed rock principle upon which our re-
public rests; namely the rights of the few shall
yield to the rights of the many and the majority
shall rule. Our whole civilization rests upon
this principle
The candidate OF the majority governs the
whole; private property is taken for the public
the private citizen is forced fight for the
public aefence- Whoever conspres against the
public veal is justly branded a traitor. Here
have the amazing specticle-in a time of peace in
free America-of organized band of men threat
ening 10 destroy the internal commerce of great
nation, if the demands ola few of them, who
claim a grievance against their employers
met.
Should any foreign nation dare to threaten n
fraction of this, entire nation would fly to
Is n Let not forget that the great
est danger TO a republic comes from within. Well
she answer comes, You want TO defend monop
oily? You see employees oppressed?
To all of which reply unequavocally NO"
but there is a legal way and revolutionary way
to redress O grievance We must have railroads
and they must be allowed fair conpen-
satIon for capital invested On the other hand
they are necessarily invested with immense pow
er, which Is liza Ole to abuse We believe i'll the
thorough supervision of railroads in the interests
of the public, at the time it will not do to
cramp private Enterprise. If congress would
promptly pass law compelling all parties to sub
init to arbitration and enforce it, the result Won d
be saiutatory. The Board should consist of three;
one elected by the people appointed by the
railroad and one by the organization of employees
All interests would tn us be represented and har
monized.
in such a each state would elect an arlI
traitor the railroads her and each assoc alton
of employees third In case of the interstate
roads, the President of the United States, with
congress, could appoint arbitrator II is better
for the railroads. for the employees. and certainly
for the whole country to place this entire matter
Of wages for engineers. fremen and brakemen on
trains under law. These the only parties
: over which the public has any rights The track
men, shopmen and others sustain the same re-
lxtion As the employees in any other business. 1t
Is possible that the Burlington road unjust to
the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers but it
does not Yet appear that way the public.
We have nothing to say, however the merits
Of the question in controversy. We speak solely
for the public and in the interest oflsw and order
When the principle of arbitration shall be estab
lshed if the railroad violates it let it be he'd for
damages; if the engineer strikes let him be pro
hibited from running engine on any road i'll
the United States for given length of time or
for life according the cnormity of the of, nee
may be.