Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-03-01

tors, engineers, brakcmen, swltchmen fire.
men, etc, appeared before the Railroad Com
mittec of the House, and spoke as follows:
MIR. sTANsFIELD.
Dfr. Chairman aud Gentlemen: We ask
TO be heard before you tonight on behalf of
the laboring interests of the different railroads
of the State, and wish to show you, or endea-
vor TO at least, how the proposed legislation
now before both houses, will effect the labor
ing interests; not mOnied interests of the
stockholders but those that do the work. |
wish to enter our protest very earnestly
against any legislation that will reduce the
earnings of the different railroads, to the eX
tent tnat these railways Will be obliged to
cut down the fOTce-the train force of all
kinds That would consequently reduce
their income to that extent that they would
be obliged to curtail or reduce the wages now
paid to the employees. You gentlemen are
well aware of the different arguments that
have been made through the different papers
and before the committee of the Senate, and
perhaps | will show you in regard TO the
train interests how that will effect us as
conductors. The road is Obliged to curtail
expenses, where they are now running pas
senger trains that do not pay revenue to the
company sufficient to do it, yet they do it to
accommodate the people along the branches
of the main line in Iowa, they will curtail
expenses by taking of the whole train and
crew. The combination car attached to the
freight trains will accommodate the
travel That would reduce the force
very materially as you will see
at a glance. Necessarily so many en-
ployes are thrown out of employment This
is what we wish to call your attention to, in
hopes that you will see this question in a
different light from what you have hereto
fore. The laboring men in making this pro-
test, are not confined to the conductors or
any one class in particular. 1t comes
from them ALL | assure you, by personal OBJ
servatiOn and long experience with. There
are other ways where this reduction would
affect the laboring men. If the cOmpensa-
ton he now receives was not reduced, one
man would be taken off and his work
doubled up on others. That is something
that will cause the men in many instances to
be overworked and taxed beyond his powers
of endurance, and we ask you to look at this
question in all of its lights and take into
consideration the argument of the facts
which we present to you tonight for consid-
Grafton, in considering these legislative mat
| tiers in legislation before you.
In the State of Iowa we have the order of
| Railway Conductors, fourteen different or
VI ulNlSlOHS uS lilty dIc Cdlltll,
| having membership in this State of about
| eight hundred. | speak more in particular
| on behalf of them as this is protest coming
| from them, and | speak as representing the
order of Railway Conductors, in the first
| place. In the second place, | would be
| direlict to my brother and fellow employe
| that is not represented, did i not protest in
| his behalf against any unwise or unjust leg
| islation that will cause the companies TO cut
| down their forces, and after that the pay of
| those that remain Very many of these
| have protested TO you. gentlemen, and to the
House, which you have already received,
| and it is to show you in what manner this
| will affect us; not affect, as ! said before,
| the bOndholder or the stakeholder, but di-
rectly the working forces ON the different
/ roads.
| don't know rs / can say anything more,
| Mr.. Chairman and, believing You will take
| these things into consideration and acj
wisely, and that you will determine justly
l thank you on behalf Of the Brotherhood Of
Conductors, this evening, for giving us q
hearing.
MIR. SHANNON.
Dir. Chairman, and Gentlemen: In tho
the short space Of time allotted to this de
bate, it will be difficult to cover any Other
ground, perhaps. In the first place, j wan
| to impress upon your minds the fact that
came here as the representative of tbs or
ganization known as the Brotherhood OF Lo