The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-26
& WORKERS APPEAL.
Several Santa Fe Shopmen Issue an
Address
TO THEIR FELLOWS AT THE SHOPS
Him which All Three or che Present
Political Parties Are Condemned

Political Parties Are G0noe mneo-
At the request of Santa Fe shopmen
the STATE JOURNAL publishes the follow
ing political address A number of per
sonal statements in it have been elimina-
ted for obvious reasons:
What shall we do to be saved with our fami-
lies from starYatiOn?)
Fellow wOrkmen of the Santa Fe shops:
Ask yourselves the above question and
when you cant answer il, ask the poll
ticians of this city and the preachers, and
they will all tell you to go to work, say
ing, "Here in Topeka as everywhere
else in this great and glorious nation OF
ours, there is plenty of work for every
man that is willing to work, and 1t
is only the tramp too lazy TO work
that is always hunting for work and not
able to find it because he doesn't want TO
find it; there is plenty OF work IN this
city for every man who is willing to
work and at good wages. Ask them where
the WORK is to be had and you are told
TO hunt for it, to go 10 the new court
house, and you say the report IS that the
contractor is turning away lou men
daily who seek for work. when he can
employ no more men, and they say you
are all right, there is plenty Of work to
be had if you will only rustic for it; and
you ask them how they know. and they
will tell you that Treasurer Wilder OF
the Santa Fe road says SO, in letter he
wrote for the papers about the
time the Sanders army was here. Well
as we have been laid off at the shops be-
cause that road has to cut down ex-
penses, tell me what good these state
ments in the newspapers do Us, and how
much work that newspaper statement
gives usI Who has had their time
shortened; the officers of the road who
are paid thousands of dollars each
year? Oh, no, they work on a salary
and it would do no good to shorten their
time, and it would not do to esta blISh the
precedent of reducing their salaries, for
if once begun where would it stop"
Where then are we to begin to reduce
the salaries paid out of the funds of the
company to its Officersf Why you must
be crazy to think of such a thing as re-
ducing the salary of any officer of the
corporation, for they are a part of the
corporation itself, and all have great
political influence with all parties. We
will begin with the fellows who have
been working forty hours a week at
about ID cents an hour, and we will lay
them of by the hundreds, and the few
we keep will learn to keep their mouths
shut and not say again that they favor
COxeyism. And if we cannot get enough
Ignorant Swedes, Poles, Hungariaus,
Russians and Italians to fill their places
al lower wages, the few we will take
back when we have to put full force in
the shop, VIII take what thew can get
without kicking or grum bling, and there
will be no more talk about the shops, of
how much better it would be if the gov
eminent owned the railroads and divided
the salaries we pay to our officers and
lawyers among the shop men and the
train crews.
Fellow hOpmen, is not the above the
true theory on which the shops have
been run, and are not the Americans
mostly laid OFT every time, and are not
the foreign wOrkmen who are afraid to
say their souls are their own, who will
do anything the bosses ask of them, aud
ut up with any kind of treatment at the
hands Of the bosses. and take any kind of
wages no matter how small like a hun
CRY deg feeding out of his masters
hand, grateful to get them the class of
workman that are never laid of at the
shopE And is this the protection to the
labOrer that we have been
whoOping it up for all the past years,
when we voted the Republican ticket for
any and every one that the bosses put in
nomination. Is it not about time for US
10 have something to say in politics and
vote Tor ourselves2 Do you say yes, and
ask which party we shall sup
portF If that is the question
you ask, can only say that
It Il hard one to an
swer, and that each man must an
answer for himself. For me, can see no
hope IN either of the present parties, |
and for the following reasons: All of the |
present parties in this state are under I
corporation control, that of the railroad /
and bank corporations combined. Do I
you say "that is strong statement, and /
you want the proof Of its truth"
Well, let US look at what kind of a /
ticket the Republicans will give Us. and i
We can only judge of what it will be by
Judging the men selected as delegates /
from this county. Who are they? Re- /
COrporatio0 Iauvvarz rai1~0a<7 II
men like Justice Marble whom I
% many Of US love for his garnishments
or our wages), and the professional office /
seekers OF this county, many of whom
have announced themselves as candi-
1ates for the nominations at the hands
oi the Republican county convention,
and that convention Of that party for this
state will nominate as a candidate for
governor, that professional office seeker
and bank president Morrill,, and fill up
ne ticket with other corporation tools.
II we turn to the Democratic party. we
zee its senator from this state. John Mar
iinr owned BY the Rock Island railroad,
Young IN the senate against a bill to
compel that road to stop at the govern
nent towns IN the Cherokee Strip: OIney,
attorney general Of the United States. a
abroad lawyer; W. c. Perry, govern
nent attorney for Kansas. a railroad
lawyer, and he and United States Mar
,naa Nsey using all of the power of
'nelr oInces to do the work of the Mis-
souri, Pacific railroad to Cypress our fell
ow laoorers in Sanders Coxev army.
Ana II we turn to the Populist party.
while its principles. if put in practice.
would bring prosperity to all of the
'oilers OF this country, universally, yet
We see that this party in this state is
by q close corporation Of
'fnce-holders at the capital. who are
meek By jowl standing in with all the !