Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-04-12

it's par value (Which Is the price az
which 1t must be redeemed), the bonded
Indebtedness of our railway system re-
presents sum larger than It's total cost.
Upon this high rate of interest is paid,
besides handsome dividends on the stock
of the best lines, which is mere water.
1t is the general impression, and at
any rate the boast of the Organs, that
our railways are admirably managed;
that their directors are making ecoDo-
mics and improvements which would
not be made by the government if the
roads were national instead of corporate
property; that while competition lowers
the rates of transportation, the watch
fulness of interested stockholders COM
mands better administration than the
government could secure from its en-
pIoyes What a delusion There is no
worse financial management in the most
corrupt department. of the city of New
York than in the best managed railway
corporations. The directors are either
the heads or the tools Of rings which
control majority of the stock and do
what they please with the property,
even 10 the extent of running it, in order
to compel the minority to sell out. In
running the property they don't ruin
themselves but on the contrary get
richer to the amount to their plumber.
They make profitable contracts with
themselves, vote themselves large sa-
laries and perquisites, etc. The agencies
through which railroad supplies are
purchased are little better than dens of
thieves. The directors, in fact, direct
nothing but conspiracies to defrapd some
and frequently all of their associates.
The real direction, the true manage
ment, is in the hands of salaried engi-
neers, who, with the ill-paid wage
working force, perform all the necessary
and useful labor. Would not these men
be just as efficient, just as honest, if
instead Of being dependent for their
daily bread upon gang of thieves,
they were employed by the common
wealth?
Here are the courageous words with
which Prof. J. R. Dodge, Statistician Of
the Department of Agriculture, closes
his March report:
s'The community is infested with
pestilent swarms of non-prodocers. The
curse of speculation blights and con.
| sumes the result of honest industry
Leeches fasten on every product of labor
and suck from it the life blood of profit
Men who produce nothing, who neither
toll on the farms nor spin in the &C.
tories, are absorbing the wealth of the
country by combination without con
science and service without equity"
One hundred and forty two votes were
cast in Providence, R. l., for F. R. Bur
ton, the Nationalist candidate for Sen
ator. As stated in our last issue. there
was no Nationalist organization in thai
| city and the action of dozen men il
| placing a ticket in the field few day.
| before election was premature, not tt
say rash in the extreme. We are not
therefore, disappointed at the result; il
fact we hardly expected that Comradt
Burton would come out of his campaign
SO gloriously. Now let the 142 unter
rified come together and organize.
From time to time there is in the New
York Sun, at the head of its first edi
torial column, a short article to thi
effect: "The best government is tina
which governs least" The article is no
signed "Charles A. DANA" but every
body understands that it is the preciou
product of his mighty pen. Now, it i
las plain as pikestaff'' that Mr.. Dam
is getting very old and does not kee
posted on the progress of language. Tn
phrase, as quoted by him, has becom
obsolete since Edward Everett Hal
said: "The best government is tina
which governs best"
In one of those little oracular article
the same old Dana exclaims: ''Forr
| Democratic clubs-for nothing bu
Democratic SUGGEST This, again, is "a
plain as pikestaff' and needs no com
ment. 1t were high time the peopl
organized peoples clubs, for nothing
but the peoples success. "Put the ras
Gals out and don't put other rascals in