Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-03-23
THE CAR COUPLER FIGHT.
s.resf man Watson's Racy Account of
e Democratic Efforts to Defeat h

congressman Watson, In the
anita Peoples Party Paper: An
Z night session Of the house is one
@he rarities. Tuesday we had it.
it Che last session we passed a bill
8niring railroads to use automatic
couplers and air brakes on freight
sins, and sent it over to the
late.
Great credit was claimed by the
nocratic majority for this legis-
jon. The labor vote everywhere
IS tickled and persuaded with it,
\ although the populists and the
publicans voted for the bill, the
mocratic house claimed all the
nor.
At Chicago the democratic national
invention inserted a plank in its
atform demanding the passage Of
Oh a bill.
The republicans at Minneapolis did
G same.
Thus both the old parties claimed
lat they favored the policy Of COM
Cling the railroads to adopt these
.fety appliances, and thus save the
YES Of 10000 laborers who are killed
very year coupling cars.
At this session the senate passed
he bill. Bear IN mind that the
enate is republican.
1t comes over to the house, which
] democratic-and the house has, so
lr, prevented its passage.
BY the terms Of the law, the rail-
Dads are to agree among themselves
ghich one of the hundreds Of car
ouplers and air brakes they will
dept. Failing to agree, the inter
tate commerce commission is TO
hoose. Hence there is no possible
nance for any one patent company
% control the situation. Yet the
ailro2ds fight the measure ~insolently
md e~tfectually. They are not will.
M TO spend any money to save
human life. They have less feeling
FOR the brakeman than for a car
wheel. Tile wear OF the one Is a loss
20 them, while the life OF the Other
$ not. Therefore 10000 men are ii
oe crushed to death every year
1000 families thrown into mourn
ng every year, 10000 widows with
heir train of helpless children
thrown into beggary every year, Il
crafty the heartless avarice Of tn,
richest corporations the world eve.
saw.
There Is nothing in this land s.
heap as human life.
The railroads had their lobby hcrt
as usual. Vice President Stahlman
Of the Louisville and Nashville road
was bossing the job-just a S he did il
the Georgia legislature some tim
ago. lie cracked his little whip owe
the Tennessee congress men and the,
performed to order. Richardson, 0
that state, led the fight for the cor
porations. Stahlman, the rim!
master, sat in the gallery and say
the horses 90 round. / shall Away
be glad that he had to listen while
hammered Richardson and his ganI
over the head. We made it so no
for the boss that he got up and lcf
the gallery.
We kept up the fight till nearl
sun up and then adjourned upon til
agreement that we should have tn
inside track next Monday-which
suspension day.
The populists all voted for tn
bill.
So did the republicans.
Only the democrats, those des
friends of labor, fought it.
The democratic platform promise
the workmen this bill. To mai
the promise appear to mean som
thing the democratic house passed
last summer in the hope that I'll
republican senate would defeat /
In that event they could prove to I'll
voter that the republicans were
blame; that the corporations bose
the senate, and not the house; tn
the democratic house had done all
could to stand up for the rights
labor.
The same congress which refus'
to pass this car coupler bill Tuesd;
did pass it last summer. Democra
who now oppose it then voted for
Why the differences:
Last summer the elections hadI
come on.
Now they have passed.
There's lots of difference betwe
'sbefore" and "after" with the ''de
old democratic party"
G.rlnr NcEay wyhn hoe onnnnnc