The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1892-04-15

roads, telegraphs and telephones. 1t almost
takes ones breath to think of the enormity Of
the proposition.
Facts and Figures,
What will be done when we are required 70
pay it? This is a case where the simple state
ment of facts is an unanswerable argument
against the demands
But further statistics show that the number
of railroad employees in 1890 was 749, 391 At
the beginning of this year it had increased to
one million, making growth in two years Of
two hundred and fifty thousand six hundred
and nine, about three hundred and forty three
per day, and is still increasing.
There are 20098 telegraph offices in the
| United States. 1 have been unable to ascer-
tain the number of employees. 1 have been
unable to get the number Of employees of the
telephone, but we know it is large. The propo-
sition is to turn over to the Government all
this force, or rather to make the appointment
of these operatives an additional patronage of
the Government.
There are to-day at safe estimate 1,500, 900
men in the employ of these corporations. If
the Government owned and controlled them
this and a half millions would be selected
from the political adherents of the party in
power and from such as can be bought by en-
ployment. They will be dispersed throughout
| the land, and will give the Government to
| back 1t, in all its purposes, two and half
times many men as the Confederacy had in
| its army during a four years war, with in
! structiOns and pledges to enforce and carry
out every suggestion and plan of the appoint
ing power Once adopt and make this demand
| a law and popular elections will forever there
| after be unknown. Our republican form of
government will be overthrow and in its
stead government of force: States will be no
| longer States; consolidation, Capitalization,
with all their horrors will fasten upon US and
| in a little while the appointing power will die
tate the terms and form of government TO
which the CARBON of Russia will alone fur
nish comparison.
1 repeat, these appointees will not come
from us, they will not be of us, but will be the
! adherents of those who have power and pro-
pose to keep it.
| In addition to the objections already urged,
! adopt the demand, and for injuries done to
| your person or property, even for wilful kill
| ing on railroad. your relief will again be
| in Court of Claims, if at all; you will have
no juries from your county. your State courts
will not be permitted to enforce the law, every
thing will be removed from them and you will
be entirely at the mercy of the Government
with no power to control or influence it.
1t Will Be Rule of Ruin
! The advocates of this measure propose to
| disfranchise the employees
The Toiler. the organ of the third party in
| Tennessee, and claiming to be the oracle of
| the Alliance, in an editorial on March 2, says:
The Government should obtain, by judi
cious method. the railroads and telegraph lines
| of the country and operate them as systemati-
cally as it does the postal system Let the
employees be DISTINGUISHED as is the members
of the army and navy, and it will not form a
combine behind an administration 1t will
prove much better system than the present,
by which the giant monopolies have vast
hoard of employees armed with a ballot to
form combine at their backs. The advant-
age is very apparent and nothing short of
ownership will cure the abuses of discrImina-
ton in freights.''
While prepared for almost anything that
might come from scheming and designing
men in their effort to destroy Democracy and
turn the Government with the rights of the
people over to usurpation, was a little star
tied reading this.
DiSfranchisement the Result.
Here we have organ protesting to labor
for the laboring man, proposing to disfran-
chise him. to take from him all voice in gov
ornamental affairs Are Allancemen so alb
sorbed in the principles of the st. Louis plat
form that they are willing to disfranchise
themselves and their sons that it may succeed?
l speak to a people who have had experience
in Acknowledgement. A people who are long
sick and sore under its rule. Are you ready
to renew it! Many of your sons are railroad
men; are you willing that the rule proposed
shall be established and that then your sons
may 80 to the Government and say: 1 want
employment on your railroads; give it to me
and l will renOunce all right to think, speak
and act free man. will obey your be-
hests whatever they may be?
There is much intelligence, as much
fba paiI
employees in Tennessee as is anywhere to be
found Must that class of men be hushed for
the sake OF employment
| tell you no! neverl There is not one in
the State who would submit to such degrade
ton and disgrace. These men are the men
and the sons of men who on the first call vol
unteered by companies, battaiions and regi-
ments, took their lives in their hands. went
to the front and staid there till the death, the
survivors facing and hearing the last angry
gun that was fired.
Disfranchise these rren? Never! Neverl
You have young sons who have tastes for
mechanics. engineering, railroad con-
struction and building, etc. VIII you
take such boys by the hand and
lead them to the appointing power tell
it the good points, the brightness, the quick
ness, the energy and push of such son and say, |
l want him appointed to some railroad posi-
IlOIls anu III CONSIDERATION L undertake ana
agree that he never shall be a free man. he !
shall not be voter, he shall take no part in
the affairs of government, he will be disfran- |
chised; will you do it, 1 answer for YOU |
no, mol You will never make slaves of your
children.
But this is not all; it is said in the same
editorial that by ''the present system the giant
monopolies have a vast horde of employees |
armed with ballots, to form a combine at |
their backs.' Ah2 what friend to working |
men; denouncing them as a horde. armed |
with ballots and forming a combine at the |
backs of giant corporations.
How much stronger could charge of dis |
honesty, corruption and sale be made2 ALI
ancemen, think of it; workingmen think of |
It, Is party with such an organ your friend7 |
Is 1t a friend to anybody
We Come Next to the Demand.
That the Government issue legal tender
notes and pay the Union soldiers the differ
ence between the price of the deprecated /
money, in which he was paid, and yold.n
Before addressing myself to this demand. I |
will say that in reading the proceedings of the /
convention was struck with the recopcilia-
ton, rejoicing, Misunderstanding and general love