The Helena independent., 1893-12-21
COMPROMISES POSSIBLE.

Fears nave been expressed tha6 owing
to the reduced scale of wages which is
to go into effect on the lst proximo, on
the Northern Pacific railroad that the
receivers OF the company will find them
selves with strike on their hands,
which will result in tying up the road
for some time to come. We do not
think that any such dire calamity can
reasonably be apprehended Represen-
tatives from the several organizations to
which tho operatives of the road belong
are now in st. Paul for the purpose of
comforting with the receivers and with
those having the management OF the
road, and we have little doubt that be-
fore the week is over compromise Of
some kind will be reached by which all
difficulty will be avoided.
A strike at this time would be most
unfortunate thing not only for the road
but for the employees themselves, and
for the communities along the line OF
the road which are dependent upon it
for their communication with each other
and with tho rest of the world No one
understands this better than the en-
ployes of the railroad themselves, and
we feel sure that we may depend upon
their own good judgment and good
sense to avert disaster which would
involve them in common with their fel-
low citizens from Duluth to Portland.
The railroad labor organizations are as
rule composed Of men of higher or
der of intelligence, and therefore more
conservative than those of most other
industrial pursuits. This is particu-
larly true of the employees of the North
ern Pacific Railroad company, and we
have no doubt that they will fully, fairly
and intelligently consider the necessi-
ties Of close retrenchment in the pres
ent depressed condition of business.
The scale now paid we believe is the
same as that paid when business was in
its normal condition. The country has
passed through the most trying financial
depression that has ever occurred, and
business is only very slowly resuming
its wonted activity. The railroad com
pany, in common with every other bus
mess enterprise in the country, has suf
fered immeasurably in consequence of
the panic Its earnings fell off to such
an extent that it was unable to meet
the interest on its bonded debt, and in
consequence it was forced into the
hands of receivers. Among the first
acts Of the receivers was the cutting of
nll salaries paid the officials OF the road
from ten to twenty per cent. 1t was
hoped that this retrenchment would be
sufficient to enable them to operate the
road without interfering with the wages
paid to employees, because tho actual
labor Of moving train Of empty cars is
approximately the same as if they were
loaded. But it seems in this they were
mistaken, and that further retrench--
ment is necessary to enable them to
operate the road at all. We have little
doubt that when these facts are made
to appear to the satisfaction of the del
egates from the several brotherhoods of
railway operatives that they will cheer
fully cooperate in the adoption of some
arrangement that will keep the road in
operation until business revives. This
in the nature Of things cannot be very
long, because the great country tra-
versed by this road possesses such
boundless resources as to make any
long continued period OF hard times
practically impossible. But anything
that would contribute at this time to a
further paralysis of business in this re-
gion would indeed be most unfortunate.