The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-11
The Coercion BugaboO.


There has been TO more dcspicabla
falsohCcd evolved during this campaign
than is embodied il the repeated in-
situations Of bryan that the employ
crs of the country have undertaken to
coerce their employees into voting for
Mckinley. This particular bit of DEM
aSosism snrouted forth about the
time II was announced that certain
railway compa MES were posting no.
tices asking their men to read sound
money literature. One of the most
prominent offenders i'm this respect. if
offense it can be called to invite the pub
lie to a campaign of education, was NJ.
T. ingalls,, president of the Chesapeake
and Ohio railway. Mr.. ingalls, has
been abused right and left by the
Bryan organs as tyrant, bulldozer
and a slave-driver, merely because he
venturcd q few weeks ago to express a
wish that the men who work on the
railways of the United States would
stop and think before voting for free
silver. with it's almost certain crippling
Of the transportation business. The fol-
lowing dispatch shows just how much
of a tyrant Mr.. ingalls, is:
New York. Sept. S.-M f. Ingalls,, prcsi-
dent Of the Chesapeake and Ohio and Big
-Four railroads, addressing his fellow en-
ployes" at Clifton Ford, Pa, last Satur-
day. said he had received marked copies
from time to time of newspapers contain
ing the charge OF coercion of employees.
For ten years. he said, the Chesapeake
and Ohio and it's employees had got along
very well together without the assistance
Of the newspapers and could 10 so still
MIR. ingalls, told his employees that the
right to vote their sentiments was the
grandest right that had come down 10
them; that II was better than all the gold
in the world. "What / ask you to do"
said he. in conclusion. "is to 20 home.
read all on the subject you can get hold
of, think II over. and then vote as you de
eide best. If, after studying the question.
ycu decide to vote for Bryan and Sewan
against what we consider to be the best
interests of the Chesapeake and Ohio, and
If anyone discharges you for so voting,
come to me and ! will discharge the man
who discharged YOU and put you back"
Any man NlD Is NllllTS u tHlIlh
ought 10 require no more than mo-
ment's reflection to be convinced of the
gross improba bility that any consider
able number of employers are con-
tcmplating n policy of coercion among
their employees. Such policy would
not only make votes for Bryan under
the secret ballot now in use in nearly
all our states. but 1t would also null
tiply greatly the already expensive fric-
tions that exist between capital and la
bor--frictions which every prudent en-
ployer seeks always to minimize. Mr..
Bryan's dcmagogism in this respect
may attract to his support temporarily
an emotional class Of workingmen who
do not stop to weigh words and motives,
but it will have the effect to ALLEVIATE
that much larger class of toilers who
believe in fair play and common sense.
The question is, Did Washington
know what he was talking about when
he said: 1T (inflation) will not benefit
:he farmer or the mechanic as It will
only enable the debtor to pay his debt
with a shadow instead of a substance?
The Republican party thinks he did.