Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-05

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axe H. lie CluD lhc SUI
ICEE H. lI IN ject under discussion
eTSEN&kX4STHYSN was the spring
SGYsSHkes&N strikes, both railroad
IpS1Mt ms and miners. and the
ES&FVA Sage" appeared to
1929 have the details at his
yE1~ tongues end when a
reporter of The Even
ing Star dropped In He was bitterly COM
menting on the fact that a telegraph oper-
ator. through a breach Of trust, trust i'm
piled since the origin of the telegraph bus
iness-that of betraying to outsiders what
Is passing over the wires-had precipitated
/ the great strike on the Great Northern
railroad this spring. The Sage" said:
mo matter If he was a member Of the
railway union, 1t was a clear steal, in my
opinion. and strike depending upon such
man deserves to fail. You know. boys
| that have been all through the west as an
| employee Of railroads and when 1 make an
assertion in connection with that district
| it can be depended upon. The people out
west have been educated up to the idea
| that everything that is evil is represented in
| railroad corporations and any legislation
| that could be placed on the statute books
/ that would act as handicap to them met
| with unanimous favor. AS consequence>in
| the race for state legislators promises were
| made with a hberality that was simply
| idiotic. The western railroad situation
| now is that 1t is almost an impossibility for
| any of the corporations to earn dividends
| and a majority of them would be satisfied
| to earn current expenses. Under these
| circumstances to precipitate a strike means
| failure on the part of the strikers,as they
are striving for something that is not in
existence-money enough to pay big wages.
The strikers have only one satisfaction, and
1t is the satisfaction of Samson, when they
| fail the roads generally fail with them.
| the west being strewn with wrecked lines
| of this description.
| Difference in Management.
I'm the matter of railroad management
| the managers of the eastern roads are
heads and shoulders above their western
| brothers. When the time comes for re-
| trenchment the heads of the western roads
| look around. and with a lack of sagacity
pick out the organized labor on their LAY
rolls as the branch to be reduced. A strike
| and general Generalization follows. Under
| the same circumstances in the east the
| shrewd managers. after deciding that a cut
\ in wages Is necessary, pick out the track
| men. the clerks and even higher OFF,
| Gals as the ones to suffer. The track
| men, for the most part. live in the coun-
| try, are unorganized, and generally take a
| cut in wages as a necessary evil. The
clerks are likewise unorganized and repre-
| sent a class of labor that can be easily
| filled, and they. too. take the reduction
| with wry face, but no definite action.
Then, there are hundreds of higher officials
that are really necessary in times of great
| prosperity, but when business Stacks up
| figure luxuries. This class is not re-
| duced on the pay rolls. they are beheaded
l iguratively speaking.
| AFTER taking these steps 1t will be found
that a saving Of hundreds of thousands of
| dollars has been brought about. and the
business continues to move along in perfect
| harmony. If still greater economy is neces-
| sary, the managers will depend upon the
selfshness Of humanity generally. and a
| general reduction in the train forces will
be made. Those that have been discharged
are told they will be taken back when BUSH
ness regains solid footing, and their pro-
/ tests to organized labor headquarters are
| enabled to make their usual monthly SAL
| airy. and under slight indications of pros
perity even more. are satisfied, If not
pleased, and the essential part of the rail-
| road business is substantially secured ard
| the managers in the west look on in Won
| derment that the labor troubles in their sec
| ton do not materialiZe in the east.
| Sometime since there report cur
| rent IN financial circles that a general re-
| duction in wages Of all employees of eastern
| railroads would be made the LIST of May.
/
| dents Roberts and Depew, two of the
| shrewdest railroad men that have ever teen
| at the head of the great corporation. The
| latter gentleman. when told of the rumor,
| said that such a move would not be con-
\ sidered for a moment. Even aside from
considerations of liberality or fairness, his
| conservative judgment admonishes him
| that such a course might arouse a counter
demonstration which would greatly over
| balance in cost any Contemplated saving
| by the reduction of wages.
The Situation in the West.
MANY people here in the east cannot COM
| prehend the railroad situation in the west
| as it now stands. A majority of the roads
| are In the hands Of receivers and conse-
| Qucntly come directly under the guiding
hand Of the courts of law. The present
strike on the Great Northern, and threat
ened strikes on other western roads. with
the various judicial decisions lately \ren-
| dered affecting the relations of railroad
employees to the employing corporations.
| suggest, to my mind, that there is here q
problem demanding solution by some au-
| thority higher than the corporations OF
labor organizations. Mind you, 1 am with
the boys in every case and under all cir
| cumstances, but considerable reading and
| little philosophy takes one out of the
| rut puppets. The corporations and labor
| organizations are not the only parties In
| interest. The railroad business is in effect
| a public service which the corporations are
| chartered to perform, not only in order that
they may make money or that their work
| men may earn living, but in order that
transportation may be provided for the
travelling public.
with the granting of charters the cor
porations are compelled by law to keep the
| railroads in regular and continuous opera
| ton, to provide transportation at fair and
| reasonable rates without discrimination and
| to submit to regulation by public authority
| Their rights as to employing and discharg-
| ing workingmen are subordinate to their
| legal obligation to serve the public, Mr.
Coxey to the contrary Notwithstanding. They
| cannot order lockout and stop operations
until workmen come to their terms, nor can
| their managers act in an arbitrary way in
| diminishing their working force or reduc-
| ing wages or increasing hours IL the result
| will interfere with an adequate accommo-
| dation of the public. The courts will only
| allow the managers to reduce the force and
| wages If it can be shown that the opera
| tions of their roads is not crippled thereby
| while the obligations of the railroads
| and their officers and agents are pretty
| clearly marked out and will be carried out
| by the courts, there has not, far as
have been able to learn, any clear defini-
| ton Of q like obligation on the part of the
| trainmen or laborerS. If they can stop
| work whenever they are dissatisfied with
| the terms and conditions of their employ
| ment, and by that means alone.o by bring