The record-union., 1894-07-19
CHARACTERISTIC STUPIDITY.


The San Francisco Bulletin reluctantly
admits that the railroad strike has tailed.
1t also declares that when the Govern
ment drew the sword on behalf of the
railroads the strike was practically
brought to an end With characteristic
stupidity it bewails this result. It
mourna because the orchardists of Cali
fornia, the manufacturers of the State and
the people throughout the country were
not made parties TO quarrel between
Pullman and his employees and that this
effort has been failure. It would have
been willing to see every orchardist in
the State bankrupted, il only the rail-
roads had been injured.
It declares that the Federal soldiers
have not been found firing upon striking
shoemakers and furniture makers, nor
guarding foundries, and intimates that
the Government interfered simply be-
cause railroad corporations were being
injured.
If there were any hope whatever of
penetrating the thick Uranium of the
Bulletin editor with an idea, we would
call his attention to recent Bulletin edi-
torials demanding that the public open
the railways by discontinuing the use of
Pullman cars, because the public has a
very broad interest in the operation of
railroads; that their suspension means
the suspension of business. the arrest of
commerce and the paralysis of industry.
When it was trying to create great pub
lie uprising against the railroads it saw
plainly that the railroads belonged to a
different category from the founderies,
the shoe-shops and the furniture manu-
factories. 1t was able then to see that
the arrest of transportation meant the
bankruptcy of innocent parties.
Now that the strike is over; that its
friends who wrecked train at Trestle
No. ? have failed; that railroad operation
is resumed, it sees no difference between
railroad and shoeshop. 1t wants to
put the Government in position of hav-
ing interfered on behalf of the railroads
because they were railroads, and not be-
cause their operation arrested all public
business. In very few days it has for
gotten its former contention, and with
blind stupidity declares that there was no
more justification for protecting the rail-
road property, carrying the mails and re-
suming the business of the country, than
there would be in interfering in the case
of strike on the part of shoemakers or
fuiniture-makers.. It ignores the fact
rioters were burning cars loaded with
freight and destroying property, and
therefore their work should have been
arrested.
1t is less than week since the Bulletin
contained an editorial declaring that it
was not the railroads that were suffering
by reason of the destruction of property,
but taxpayers and municipalities liable
for damages in consequence Of such de-
struction. Notwithstanding all this it
now sees no justification for any uprising
on the part of the railroads to perform
their duties as common carriers.
Moreover. the BlstLetin exhibits small,
not TO say mean, spirit toward the Presi-
dent of the United States, not because he
is President, but solely because he was
alaofaS hxy tba narnonrafia rartv Tho
Bulletin is a Republican paper of the
diminutive variety. It is small parti-
san, with small ideas, small aims and
circulation and still smaller income. The
diameters of everything connected with
that paper are small. Hence, its pigeon
headed editor declares that the extent of
the great victory which the railroads
have just achieved cannot be over
estimated; that there can be no more con-
tention with the railroads; that they are
all the same as the Federal Government
as administered by Mr.. Cleveland.
II is perfectly apparent to every man,
woman and child in the Nation. except
The pinaple-hea proprietors and edi-
tors of the Bulletsa, that if Benjamin
Harrison had been President of the
United States he would have interfered
at an earlier date TO prevent the destruc-
ton of property than did Mr.. Cleveland,
and that his interference would have