Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-09-27

INTO corporate properties and the scat
tering of the shares among speculative
holders. Other reasons are also given,
among which the drain of money to
South America and South Africa, and
the pressure on the London money mar
ket attending higher values. 1t may
seem remarkable to the uninitiated that
financial troubles always follow great
business activity and plutocratic pros
perity.
From advance sheets of the annual re-
port of the Illinois Central for the year
ending June 80, 1890 it appears that the
cost of the lines under its control
amounts to one hundred and ten million
dollars. We commend to the attention
of our readers the following extract
from that report:
"The growth of the country served
has been phenomenal. As the country
is developed better service and accom-
modations are required. To render the
service required by modern conditions it
became necessary to improve the former
standards and in the past year the max
imum weight of locomotives has been
increased from 40 tons to 81 tons; the
weight of raj! from 60 pounds to rs
pounds per yard; the capacity of freight
cars from 20 to 30 tons, and an increased
amount of ballast and larger number
of ties have been placed under the rails.
In addition to this, better facilities have
been provided in assing tracks and the
double track has been extended. Large
additions to the motive power and rolling
stock have been made, and yet, with all
these improvements, your Directors are
| confronted with the fact that the traffic
offered is in excess of the capacity of the
agencies now at their disposal"
Is not this a sufficient argument in
favor of the platform adopted by the
New York County Conference of the
S. l.. P, which demands the construc-
ton and operation, by the National
Government, of inter state railroads,
telrgraphs. canals, etc, in direct com
petition with similar agencies of trans.
portation and communication now
owned and operated by corporations?
Columbia College has given Gunton
the use of room for lectures to "intelIi-
gent workingmen on the benefits of
capitalism. This humbugologist Gunton
was brought into prominence by Samuel
Gompers, who published under the seal
of the American Federation of Labor
his pamphlet on the eight hours ques-
ton, in which the shortening of the
work day is advocated on the ground
that it will benefit the capitalists,
1t must be observed that in it's call for
| a Conference the Committee of Twenty
five ignored the Nationalist, apparently
presumipg that Nationalsm had been
killed by the Commonwealth party.
The money power has resolved t.
starve into submission the various States
whose legislatures are not sufficiently
subservient. The city of Austin, for in,
stance, is notified by a leading organ
| of Wall street bankers that she need not
apply to them for loan if the present
Attorney General Of TevTs who took
proceedings for revoking the charter of
the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway
Company, is elected Governor, and if
the new Legislature is elected on plat
form "hostile 10 corporate interests"
But why should not the city of Austin,
and for that matter every city that
needs money for public improvements,
issue It's own bonds in denominations of
one dollar, receivable in payment of
taxes, gas, water and any service rend-
cred by the municipality Such bonds,
paid out to labor, would, under proper
management, circulate freely as cur
rensy' If necessary, leagues of cities
might be formed. through which these
bonds could obtain State or Inter state
circulation.
The electric light plant owned by Mar
quette City, Michigan, nets 81 900 profit
per year. II New York City owned one
she might pay eff her debt.
The government railroads in the EN-
pire of Russia made seventy seven mil
lions of our dollars profit, in 1880 If
New York State owned hers, how rich
she would be