Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-09-27
COERCION OF RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.
p,,N NOW TO PREVENT phMo-
cn,rs FROM REGISTERING.
THg pECOY TICKETS LAWYERS.
nj. welcome Tint VIII lie Accord
ed Them in the Regions i"e'
-. I'm Visit VIII Probably
-. Ito wnrm-PoIiticnl Notes

,,o intimation Of an Apprehension Oh ~
to,l,n had been received from anypopS
o,,oornine Consul-Generm Lee. at Ia
hama The department is IN coiE'"'''
o,int Of communications from "'".''''
,.e-ono as late as to-day-and thero mas
not teon the rcmotest expression Oh ue-
sire ON his part TO come home. his
,.,i,b is presumably excellent. neho"-
fever. 10 "a greater or less extent o'""y'
preyaus AZ Habana. but t1e worst Oh Tic
fever season Is now over ana NJ "o
time has General Lee consideieu hl''iSo'i
t, any danger from the malady. lie went
90 cuba with a fun knowledge OF the
bosstb conditions OF the climate ana
con-, nrcpared TO guard against yellow
fever. and other diseases peculiar 70 tN0
country r,,.,,,. oor,o-
sroraept before going that he dla hoe
,,t.rd 10 return this fan, but wou'd sehu
co. Mrs Lee and the other members oil
- c.ruv I'm October. He fully rea-
ti,.5 tho Importance Of his mission ana
had 10 idea Of absenting him5eI from
his position at a time SO critical AS 'he
perlod he has been la Cuba II Gcheiai
lee eare here. there is no doubt mat
ne ali the other Lees. he would be Ia
line with his people and party
RAILWAY BULLDOzING.
Mr. IL L. Mcdonald of this city. has
received q letter from a gentleman In
Irdlanapolis giving a description of the
htlfIoziug methods used by the Big -Four
Railroad Company, Of which Mr.. NJ. r.,
ingalls, is president. at Indianapolis. In
stances are given where Democrats were
compelled % sign a circular, of which the
following IS copy:
eve. the undersigned employees Of the
Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati and ST.
Louis railroad. believing that the election
Of any man TO the high Office Of Presi-
dent Of the United states on free
silver platform would be ruinous 10 the
country and against the best interests Of
the wage-earner: and, believing that the
Republican party enunciauon, in its ma
ti0nal convention. held at St Louis,
which speaks out strong for stable cur
rcucy will II put into execution, re-
d0und not only to the welfare Of railroad
men. but TO that Of the country at large,
do hereby pledge ourselves TO do all in
our power 10 defeat the candidate nomi-
mated on a free-silveT platform, and also
10 elect the men nominated at the Re
DAIlcdN convention Ntlu at 81 lJus.
Mr. McD0uald's correspondent also gave
the name Of "a friend and workman on the
road who was ana always had been q
Republican, and who declared that he had
signed the pledge. but that forcing him
90 do so had made him change his mind,
and that he and other Republican work.
iuemen who had signed intended to vote
for Bryan.
MICHIGAN.
4 correspondent at Kalamazoo, Mich.
writes: "As you viii find by reference to
statistics. this is the strongest Republi-
can city n Michigan. kalamazoo con-
tains large number Of corporations and
banks. and IS the greatest stronghold Of
tho money power i'm the State. with the
possible exception OF Detroit and Grand
Rapids. In this district. al cOngTession-
al convention held on Wednesday at Bat
ne Creek. a. NJ. Todd was unanimously
nominated by @ union convention of
Democrats silverites, and Peoples party
men. Mr.. Todd ran in the spring Of 1895
90 nm the vacancy caused by the retire
meut az Mr. Burrows, who in 1891 had
received plurality Of over 1900. Mr..
Todd cut Burrows's majority down to
100.
Notwithstanding the heavy Republican
maiorities iu former years. the Republic
cans are makins q harder fight here than
they have ever made before. They are
emp Dying every preacher they can. and
every other person who will work ior
them. They employ a large number Of
men 10 take bicycle trips among the
farmers. and they call on some fictitious
errand and incidentally caution the farm
or and the laborcr against the frfe-traders
and silver mine-owuers. They are using
money freely. seem 10 have a plentiful
supply OF IT, and yet they are afraid
badly scared. They know that the people
are with u.s.
$50. IN addition TO the other methods
named. the railroad and other corpora
lions have begun system of coercion Of
their employees. and the banks Of their
debtors that Is perfectly brutal And
yet Mr. T0dds friends are hopeful that
ne VIII win. and in making the canvass
declare they are going TO help carry Mich
isan for Bryan by a rousing majority.
The writer is as confident Of Mr.. Bryan 5
carrying Michigan as he Is Of any polit-
cal thing In the future"
PREVENTION OF REGISTRATION.
Complaints Of railroad coercion Of EN-
royees are becoming 80 numerous that
the Democratic leaders are considering
measures 90 counterfeit the nefarious
work aul 10 secure for workingmen the
Isht 20 east their votes guaranteed them
ntlAAAtpu anu laws VI Nht
country. The complaints come chiefly
from West Virginia. ohio, Pennsylvania,
Virginia. and Maryland Ii Is reported
thit in Che last-namcd State the railroad
corporations through their managers,
nave advised their Democratic employees
mat % VIII Doe for their interest not TO
register Tor the coming election. They
'ehcFe mat this peculiar method viii be
more effective than direct intimidation or
persuasion. This appeal Is accompanied
oy the statement that while during the
carly part of the campaign tons OF gold
literature We're distributed among the
men. reminding them that the interests
OF The roads would he injured by the free
coinage of silver. their bonds We're pay
able in gOld. and as they would have 10
purchase that metal TO pay interest 1t
would be necessary TO curtaii expenses
and dispense with the services Of large
percentage Of their employees.
This kind Of argument was not consid-
cred effective. The intelligent workmen
might not be- gulled and the corporations
afe afraid 10 trust them at the polls.
They might not vote the Mckinley force
lill ticket when they went into the poll
ins-boOth. They could not be trusted 10
arrange their own ballots. as the secrecy
of the booth protected them from detoc-
ton. and II would be difficult to spot
the offenders fer future discharge For
this reason they have now resorted to the
more plausible method OF trying TO pre-
vent the men from registering.
FEAR OF BEING BLACKLISTED.
Now Il is the belief that II the en-
ployecg insist upon exercising their right
OF suffrage as American citizens they Will
f.lf md al fAr van