Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-01-04
A NUMBER Of non union men were

A NUMBER Of non union men were
employed on the coal warves and
about the ware houses Of Port Rich
mond Knights oflabor, IN the ser
vice OF the Reading Railroad Com
pany, objected TO the employment of
of the non union men, and q few
DAYS sgo refused to work unless the
men who did not belong to the
knights were discharged The com
P,ny refused to discharge the non
union men and told the knights to
proceed with their work or their
places would he supplied with other
men This action of the company
oficiaIs, so aroused the leaders of
the Knights that they unwisely or
d,red n strike all along the line Of
the II adiur Railroad, thereby com
pellirg hv their secret combination,
thousand Of men TO quit places of
work where they we're earning liv-
ing FOR themselves and families. 1t
Is blind leadership. 1t is worse than
blind leadership that will compel a
lot % good men connected with &
secret organization to quit work
n The dead Of winter when there Is
TO principal involved, further than
that Il number of men not members
of the Knights of Labor were at
work for the same company. The
order 10 strike was given and on the
23ri Of December thousands of
Knights quit work. Freight trains
were side tracked, ware houses and
coal wnrves were deserted. The
company Immediately began to pro |
vide 70 I'LL the vacant places with |
other men. BY the morning of the
2Tth Of December the strike WAS at |
an end. 1t is to the credit of large |
percentage or the membership of the |
Knights that they did not approve /
Of thn ulwIse order of a strike on a |
part Of he officers of their secret or
der.
1t Is the standing objection to
kinGiy forms Of government, snd to
cor,gIu religious creeds. that they
will glva no employment to people,
who ave not Of their kind. But how
could such "a government or system
Of business or religion be put into
practice IT, the r public and preserve
even the shadow of free government
II the principle laid down by the
KNIGHTS in tue Port Richmond
strike were followed 70 a conclusion,
n system of government as despotic '
as that of Russis, would be develop [
Ell within the period Of a generation, I
from which the knights would be {
.ho first people to earnestly pray for \
iehveance. freedom of govern
aeut, aud freedom of labor and bus
mess can only be preserved by max
ne 70 secare for all.
IHs holiday strike is held up as !,
mother illustration Of the conflict :,
1etwSen capital and labor. He is E
man W no has an IKE % grind some
where n a. an ignorant maa that al :
WAYS rs talking about the conflict of !
,7rJtal and labor. Look a moment =,
* the situstion of the parties in this I
casg: The officers aud lsboring men +,
Of the Reading Railroad Company
are the people rLo suck the orange ,
and tie capitalists get the rind the
officers eat the oyster and the capi l
tshst- get the shell the employees
from the track 10 the Presidential
Office ehsorbs the proceeds or earn !,
lrEs of tho concern and the bloated
"a ''toii, I as be is called the men
VINO have money IN the road, and its
mines aud furnaces are congratulated
IN a sort % pstrouizing way if they
get per cent on their investment.
Some years they get nothing
Nouv other companies are IN the
same situation And it Ia not only
so With railroads, but such is the
case with many manufacturing es
tabLshmeuts. The concerns are
based ON paper indebtedness. which
cln never IT, redeemed, and tue best
tine holders can dois to grin and bear
and receive a small percentage, if the
earnings are not all eaten up IN pay
meut oil wages to the worsmen and
officers and instead of curses being
hurled at men who have put money
into such risky enterprises, they
should have good wishes and en-
enlargement extended TO them.
Large sums of money have been
made by one set of OF bond and stock
holders selling out to an other on
rising or falling markets, which they
manage by the tricks Of their trade
But such work has no more to do with
the real work of railroading and min
ing and manufacturing, than has the
spcculatious Of the grain dealer, with |
rnj,ing Of wheat corn and oats or the !
pork sPcculator with the raising of
hogs or the production of lard.
The European war scare Is over.