The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1894-07-19
AN OPEN LETTER.
EDITOR ISLANDER:

EDITOR ISLANDER:
see in the p. |. of the 9th inst. series
of resolutions passed by the Seattle Cham
Der of Commerce, condemning the strike
by the American Railway Union, express
ing sympathy with the poor, ill paid and
oppressed railway corporations, who can
not run freight, passenger or mail trains
because those terrible A. r. L. Boys Will
not allow them to tag on some Pullman
cars till Old Pullman consents to let the
poor wretches in his employ have the
means of keeping soul and body together,
and petitioning Congress to take steps 10
help said poor corporations down the A.
r. T., and thus settle the grudge they
have against all presumptious tollers who
would dare TO oppose their little game of
making their roads bring them in ''all the
traffic will bear"
Now, Mr.. Editor, don't you think that
while the chambers of commerce, Boards
of Trade and other like gambling instltu-
tons are 50 promptly furnishing all the
moral aid and support they can to the men
who are straining every nerve to down
organized labor, and, are using the pubnc
press to disseminate lies and misrepre-
sensations regarding them, that we, the
people of San Juan county should do what
we can to encourage those brave fellows
who are fighting our fight (and who, even
if they fail, have still won a great victory,
in showing what organized labor can do.)
This is a struggle in which we cannot
afford to play the part of idle spectators,
for these same greedy and constituencies
corporations are one of the chief causes OF
farming being no longer profitable, as
their motto has indeed been ''charge al
the traffic will bear' and between then
and their allies, the bankers, it's no won
der the poor farmer has found himself
between the devil and the deep sea.
Why. from 1871 to 1892 the gross earn
ings of the railroads was Sl6,W4, 737 ,ll2 o.
within SS9S, OOO, 900 Of the entire assessed
value of the entire country in 1880, and o
lis The enormous sum OF five and One-hal
billions was clear profit. Then turn to thu
men who raised the crops which pait
these fabulous sums for transportation
and what were their pr offs? mortgages
Is it any wonder that they could pay divl
dends on stock 50 watered that it repre-
scented several times the actual cost, o.
that they could pay salaries, to scores o
officials, that king might envy. Ant
who pays it all? We, the fool farmer
who have submitted to this robbery enc
extortion and have received from our eX
ploiters the contempt we well deserve
And now when the A. r. Z. men have
made a stand for their brothers in distres:
and are bearing the combined attack o
the corporations and the thinly disguised
i'll will of the administration, it seems t.
me that we, the farmers should send then
greeting and cheer, and never complain
even if the stoppage of traffic drives us t.
the clam beach, but by strongly expressed
resolutions pu the blame just where i
belongs; for there is not a single road tina
could not be running if they had no
entered into this unholy compact with
Old Pullman to crush the wOrkingmen
Would it not be we'll to have Resolutions
!, to this effect sent to every precinct fol
signatures, and copies sent to presiden
Debbs and to our congressman, that the
Boards of Trade may not misrepresen
the people in this matter, for how can W.
expect them to help us in our mucf
needed reforms if we stand alOof from
them in their hour of need, especially a:
they have appealed to us fer moral sup
port? Shall they appeal in vain?
YOURS, JAMES TULLOCH.