Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-10-26
RAILROAD EMPLOYEES.

"~SNN oSo AISOAl. HuOIc d special
dispatch from Fort Scott, Kan, to a
Kansas City daily of recent date, as fol-
lows:
I'm response to call for meeting
OF the railroad employees of this city for
the purpose of organizing club issued
by State Organizer L. w. Reese and his
deputy, G. w. Mcintosh, about 175 men
from the different roads met in Pythian
hall and organized the Railway EN-
ployes' club of Fort Scott. The pur-
pose of the club, as set forth by Mr..
Reese, is to protect the railway COM
panies against reduction of rates by
organizing railroad employees to vote
solldly against any candidate on any
ticket who may be in favor of legisla
tion against the present rates. :"
In the Chicago Inter Ocean find the
following explanation of the same
efent, embodied in Fort Scott special:
81. w. Reese and W. e. Mcintosh, a
committee from the National Railway
Employees association, arrived here from
Iowa to organize branches of the asso-
Cation throughout the state The OBJ
ject of the associations work is to cause
the defeat of any candidate who is in
sympathy with any movement looking
to the reduction of freight rates by
statute. Mr.. Reese says the efforts of
the association in Kansas will be direct
ed toward defeating the success of the
fusion of democrats and populists, as
they have enough votes to hold the bal
ance of power, and they don't propose
to cast them for that party which would
legislate against their interests"
This is equivalent to a statement that
the object of the National Railways
Employees association is to fight the
peoples party.
l respectfully submit to all members
of such association that the above
language indicates:
1. An utter misconception of the
scope, aims and purposes of organized
labor.
2. A peculiar schism, or division in
sentiment, with dangerous tendency,
existing in the ranks of organized Ia
bor
3. A gross misapprehension of-the
true status of railroad corporations and
their capitalized fraud; in that it is as
sumed that reduction of freight and
passenger rates must necessarily reduce
wages of railroad employees.
1. A lack of familiarity with the well
worn adage: at is poor rule which
will not work both ways
will present few ideas in support
of the foregoing propositions:
1. An utter misconception of the
scope, aims and purposes of organized
lo1D flo
what purpose does labor organizer no
one would, for moment, think of an
swering, ''to further the ends and
protect the interests of the holders of
railroad stocks and bonds" Still less
would they be likely to answer: '"To
form an alliance, offensive and de-
fensive, with organized greed and cap
italized fraud, in opposition to the peo-
ple's demand for equity and justice.
1t is commonly supposed that the ends
to-be attained and the principles to be
covered by organizations of railroad
employees are the enforced compliance
on the part of railroad corporations
with the just demands of their en-
ployes and the practical illustration of
the basic axiom, that IAN injury to one
is the concern of all" 1t has been predi-
Gated and predicted of organized rail-
road labor that it's mission would be to
defeat any attempt on the part of the
railroad corporations to infringe upon
the rights, or reduce the wages of the
employees, by presenting a solid and
united resistance to such ac-
tion. Indeed, it has been con-
tidently expected that, instead
of uniting with corporate monopoly in
its aggressive fight against the liberties
and fortunes of the American people,
the railroad employees of the United
States were organizing to protect their
| own interests and maintain their scale
of wages, to the end that they may not
be crushed between the upper and
neither millstones of the peoples de-
mands and corporate rapacity. That
is to say, that in the impending mighty
struggle between the American citizen
and the almighty dollar, organized la
Dor would see to it that the attack OF
the peoples hosts upon an encroaching
plutocracy was not diverted against
the guiltless army of toilers upon the
peoples highways.
2. A peculiar schism and division Of
sentiment, with a dangerous trend. ex-
isting in the ranks of organized labor
The proposed action in its closest anal
ysis presents this proposition on the
part of the organized labor: That tbs
people in their struggle for liberty anC
warfare against oppression and spolia
ton, must not attempt to reduce th'
extortionate tribute exacted from them
| s.. - Al.
sons of toll who are fortunate enough t.
have to depend upon corporate monopo
lies generosity for a 'bare subsistence.
For what then is labor organizing ant
| what good purpose can be subserved bl
the federation of labor? Suppose tina
from the same standpoint and for tn
same reason the street railway employe
of America should oppose all Legislation
looking toward the imposition of
charge for street railway franchise,
and the regulation of rates of transpor
tation. Or the telegraph operators con
clude to oppose to the bitter end Wana
makers postal telegraph scheme. An,
what if packing house and stock yarc
employees should unite in opposition t.
all efforts on the part of the people t.
| Q0SCTOy Tile kuOWn dS Inc Dee
combine or the big Four" and to es
tablish some semblance to competition
in the conduct of live stock commission
yards? Then the cashiers, tellers anc
bank employees generally, might steadi
ly oppose the popular demand for tn
abolition of banks of issue and the issu
ance of money direct to the people
at low rate OF interest upon approves
security The result would be tina
sordid selfshness, acting upon an in
dividualistic plane, would clog tn
wheels of progress of modern ciyiliza
tioa. and preclude all p ) iibilitg O
united collective action in the direction
Cf reform, on the part of the who
people. In this mighty conflict betwee
humanity and gold, all thought of sci
from an indiviiualistic standpoint
must be eliminated from the problem
and man must WORK for man-not fl
self, but for humanity In general Th
question is this: Can labor afford to a
cept division OF stolen property as