Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-17
DEPEW ON STRIKES.
lie Declares That They Can he Avoided,
and Easily.

tNcW OK IitSS.)
"po believe in Strikes asked Chaun-
coy N. Depcw, settling himself in his Ing
whcel-chair and getting ready 10 enlarge
upon topic dear to his soul. no do
Motif they can be avoided And can they
Doe ayOid-d2 Yes-yes, indeed-easiy.
II am an employee myself. / have been
employed upon This road thirty years, 50
that 1 feel. like many of our old en-
ploy,cs. entitled TO call it my road and
/ can tru.hully say that ! have never
struck. Though if had not been treated
I..nt / should have undoubtedly have done
SO long ago.
"Ahout four years ago We had a local
strike on our road. IL was Il strike IN
The New York yards; ami. until We had
aioitratei. il tied UP the trains for TWO or
three ddys-Whie We We're talking il
oF.r-d.scussing points, as ii were. hut
that Is the only strike We have had for
very many years. certainly over fifteen.
And We employ more than $3.50 men.
"FrrSoua!ly / may have struck myself,
at some time In the past presume did;
ana undoubtedly my frame of mind tied
up Ws duties temporarily. Eut We aTbi-
trat'i very soon and al moved on again.
The so-callel strike is the laboring mans
way of saying. i am not satisfied. liut
the difficulty should Doe at once and peace
fully settled. And that is what / mean
when / say that strikes can be avoided.
MONEY ALONE WON'T DO.
IN avoiding strikes and keeping the
men iu d good frame If mimi something
more than money is necessary. NOu must
realize that the wOrknyman Is a man.
And THAT be wants to be- treated Ike Il
man In other words. ne wants to b.
treated precisely as YOU yourself enjoy
being treated.
III you are H. the employ Of any
man-tVcn i'm the highest position in his
establishment. be II factory or shop-dnl
If the man shows an Indifference 10
your personality you dislike him, and
some day You are going 10 get even
Aren't You: The fire is smouldering
And for each time ne grumbles. when
you are assent Il day L. go to Il funeral.
or are late from the bedside Of dying
member OF the family, OF are III your
self, You are laying up a grudge that
VIII be repaid in his own coin, with in
tcrcst.
"Therofore, l say that men who are
IN the employ Of others ask for more
than money. Mere money Will not sat
isfy them-except temporarily. They will
take IL. hut they secretly ctafe When
there is grievance, II they have been
paid In money alone, they viii be ready
10 join In with the grieyed spirits.
Men who II, At their employees thus
are the men VINO can never lower their
wages dollar, no. a cent Woe be 10
them If they try 10 come down upon the
only coin IN which the men are paid But
II they have treated their men like men
even Ike gent .men-they can % a great
deal with them. Try this. and see for
yourself.
\ TALE WITH a MORAL
"a very fine example of this comes to
my mind. In a certain city distant from
New York there was in our employ a
man who was active in politics / do not
remember on which side he was, but he
was local leader Wen. there was
elected in that city a Mayor who had
been opposed violently by our employees.
And the Mayors first thought was re-
venge. He wrote me personal letter,
saying:
My Dear Mr.. Depew: You have In your
employ here a certain John Smith, who
did me much harm politically-Or tried
to-and IL Is not agreeable 10 me TO
have him remain In his position. Please
remove him. and place my follower,
George Jones. In his place.
(Slgned) MAYOR BLANK.
II thought the matter over, and re-
solved not TO displace our man, as we
do not allow politics TO enter into our
employ Indeed. We discharge any head
of a department caught endeayoring TO
influence man politically. And so l
wrote his HONOR thai we could not obnge