The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-03-03

uOW tu0y W HOWL anu Tear Ln0lr lalr
at the audacity of it! It is too pre-
posterous to be seriously thought of.
Topeka Advocate and Tribune.
HOW THEY "ECONOMIzE.n
Always at the Wrong End-In Lives,
Perhaps. But Not Dividends.
Corporations, like individuals, are
frequently afflicted with fit of econ
omy, and in practicing it are even
more apt to ''save at the spigot and
waste at the bung."
This fit of economy generally at
tacks a corporation just after the
semi-annual dividend has either been
passed or found below the average.
Then they economic the wrong
end, says the Chicago Express.
II man wants to know just how
! corporation economy works, let him
come to Chicago where he will find
any quantity of practical illustra-
tiOns.
The street-cars are run with no
fires, or very poor fires, "as matter
of economy one of the conductors
| was heard to remark
The railroad crossings are tagged
by blear-eyed, bloated- faced remnants
of humanity, because their services
can be had for little or nothing.
incompetent or careless engineers
occupy positions of the greatest re-
sponsibility, because their services
are not in active demand, and hence
are cheap.
Incompetent or careless plumbers
are employed, by a corporation that
has the contract of furnishing the
| city gas, to make repairs in a base
ment over which thousand people
are employed, because such men will
work for less wages than is usually
demanded.
A hundred instances might be Civ
in the employment of labor in order
to increase their dividends in stock;
while it is doubtful if a single in
stance can be given where the prince
| ly salaries of officials and hangers-on
were ever sacrificed in the least to
force up dividends.
From this practice of corporation
ECONOMY" the public is made to
suffer constant inconvenience and
| frequently loss of life.
Not ten days ago, careless engi-
neer and careless flagman caused
locomotive to back into a street-car
| full of gers-killing four out
| right and manning Or injuring a
score of others.
Less than three days afterward an
other accident of the same kind oc-
Cured not far from the same place,
when two more human beings were
ushered into eternity and a dozen
more seriously injured.
| Within the past two months more
than dozen deaths by asphyxiation
have been caused by the Economic"
gas company. The supply of gas
! would give out during the night, The
burning gas jets in rooms would be
extinguished and when the gas was
again supplied it would pass through
the unlighted jets carrying death
throughout the household.
l IL
cable and steam cars are alarmingly
| frequent.
! The worst of it is the people don't
have any remedy for these corpora
ton calamities. If the city authori-
ties have any remedy to apply, they
are very slow to apply it. A city
alderman is always very dilatory in
proceeding against a corporation to
whom he is indebted for his posi-
| ton.
In Chicago, as in other large cities,
the corporations run the city govern
ment.
There are tworemedies in the hands
of the people:
| Hang few corporation managers
and other officials who, by their mis-
| directed ECONOMY" could be clearly
found guilty of murder.
Forfeit the charter of few corpor-
ations and place the business of
transportation, etc., in the hands of
the people themselves.
Then let public institutions be con-
Quoted on the principle that 1.-the best
is the cheapest" especially in the en-
ployment of labor-and railway acct
dents and gas explosions will soon be
things of the past.
Let the people economic by turn
ing out the corporation .:economi-
zers."
Silver Certificate Fraud.
For two years past 100000 ounces
of silver has been bought by our