People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-08-24

the roads are built. When railroad
wants a piece Of property no differ
ence If IL is in the main street OF
city or the sacred homestead OF an
individual it takes it, no difference
whether it is for sale or not. II you
don't want to take its price for your
property it will take the matter into
its courts and before its subsidized
judges and compel you to take what
the court says your property is worth.
This would be our method for the
people obtaining the railroads. The
matter could be drawn along through
the courts for four or five years, by
which time the roads could earn
enough to pay for themselves. This
of course would not seem to be fair
but it is the way the owners Of rail-
roads got them in some instances and
they certainly had ought not to com.
plain if the people should repOssess
their property hy the same method S
it was taken away from them.
This subject suggests another
thought which will look more plaus-
able the more it Is studied. If it is
right and lawful for a railroad com.
pany to take, yet refuse to pay man
what he asks for his home, is it not
equally just and right that the same
man should demand Of the railroad
company continuous employment at
his own price, and il the railroad COM
lpany refuse to pay wkat he asked he
could go before a court which was
friendly to his interests that would
decide what the company must pay
him and that the employment must
be perpetual? II it is right for an or.
gained company to take ones home
by process Of law and against the
ownerI will, why not makesthe com.
Ipany hire whoever wants to work fol
it at the wOrkman'S own price or d
price set by some court? The indiyid'
ual wants continuous employment at
a certain price and the corporation
wants continuous possession Of hi;
property for price set by a court
The courts set the price on his prop
and CompelS him to give it up, yet il
would not think Of setting price anC
compel the corporation to give thu
individual perpetual employment.
| Now, take for instance the case O.
/ Gen. Sanders who took possession Of a
Missouri Pacific train. He offered the
company a certain price for the train
and the company would not take it
He had to have train and so he die
just like the railroad company ha,
done in hundreds Of instances wher
they wanted to run up a certain stree
in town or across another road wher,
the price asked was more than II
would pay. When the owners were
not watching their property closely
the company would lay ties and put
down rails and they had it. All the
owners could do was to 70 into court
and ask damages and il justice wa.
done alike to the rich and the pool
that was all that should have beer
done to Sanders men. His men ne
more stole train than the railroad.
Of the country have stolen hundred.
Of peoples homes in the same way.
The trouble is our laws are made FOL
and applied to benefit capital and il
no instance where capital and labor
clash is the laborer on equal footing
before the law with his oppressors
1t is fine theory that il man doe.
not want to work for the wages Offered
him to quit and go elsewhere and seel
labor and it had ought to apply to {
corporation which wants a man.
property. II the corporation does moi
want to pay what he asks let it X
elsewhere and buy where the price
does suit. Then it may be said thai
the company wants this identica
piece and another location woul1 no,
suit at all. As a rebuttal TO this W,
say the same for the labOrer. He maj
want to work in Topeka where h
owns home and job, in Kansa.
City might not be whath he wants a
all. II what is sauce for the goose
should be the same for the gander
our present laws could be so construed
to compel corporations to pay a Ger
tain price for wages and that the
wagewOrker would be given a jOt
where he selected it. These compar
isOns will seem to some people radical
and inapplicable to the subject matter
We know, bnt the cold facts remain
just the same that laws are made and
administered in the interests Of CAPT.
tai. 1t is the aim Of the Peoples par.