Wichita eagle., 1888-03-21
ANOTHER DEMAGOGUE HEAR
FROM

A strike of the employees Of any of
our great railroads is calamity to the
business interests of the whole country.
The people of this country recognize the
fact that the men who run railroad trains
are in constant danger, and that to
the employment of competent men Is
largely due the safety of the public who
patronize these roads. This being the
case the first impulse of the public Is to
sympathize with the strikers. This IS
usually the case before any investigation
has been made to determine as to who is
responsible for the strike and the inter-
ruption of trade. In consequence of this
disposition on the part of the public to
sympathize with laboring men these
strikes and labor troubles has tendency
to bring the demagogues to the front.
Whenever a disturbance occurs every
demagogue who happens to hold some
position of trust makes hast to send his
name out in the Associate dispatches as
a friend of the strikers . The
latest representative Of this class is
Governor VIM. Larrabee of Iowa.
Williams letter to the manager of the
c., B. & 9. railroad plainly shows that
he has no comprehension whatever of
the ability required to manage great
railroad, but he puts in his bid for the
support of the strikers all the same.
In his letter to President Perkins of
the &c" road this demagogue governor
of Iowa claims that great damages are
complained of by the people of his state
but when President Perkins assumes the
governors letter and everlastingly floors
the demagogue, he comes back and viz
tually comedies that no claims for dam
ages have been claimed by citizens of
Iowa. He, however, says if any claims
are handed in in the future that he will
forward them to Mr. Perkins, thus adver-
Using himself as claim agent as well
as demagogue.
The issues involved in these labor
troubles are of vast Importance to
the American people. We have
always had faith in the ability
Of the people to solve these
problems. There are two elements,
however, that always try to connect them
selves with these troubles that renders
the solution of all labor agitatlons more
difficult: One element is the anarchist,
and the other the political demagogues.
The country seems to have adopted the
plan of eliminating the anarchist from
the issue by hanging them. However,
the demogogue like the "poor" of whom
the Savior speaks, eye always have with
you," and he never fails to show uD
when there is strike on hand. 1t is
extremely humiliating to the people of a
great state when these labor troubles
occur to have some plg-headed governor
who knows about as much about the
management of railroads as the ''ground
hog" does of Astronomy, assemble
council of politicians who are of about
the same caliber as himself and then
proceed to enlighten all the railroad
managers in the country on how to
terminate strike. The demagogue like
the anarchist, is not necessity in this
country, and the people will be likely to
devise some means of dispensing with
both classes while they are solving this
intricate questions connected with labor
and capital. The railroad managers and
their employees, however, seem to be get
ting along reasonably well, and the
trains are moving. As we have never
known railroad train to succeed in run
ming over a jackass, we presume the
governor of Iowa will be able to get out
of the way.