The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-10-15
TWO POINTS
OF VIEW.
seOut Of Thine Own Mouth VIII
Z Judge Thee Luke xix 22
Dugald Crawford Tells Why
He Discharged Employees
FOR BEING FOR SILVER
AfterWard Repented of His
Harshness, Reinstates Them.
A Manly and Candid Statement
From Him,
That Reveals How Some Look
on the Question.
FOR BEING FOR SILVER
Afterward Repented of His
Harshness, Reinstates Them.
A Manly and Candid Statement
From Him,
That Reveals How Some Look
on the Question.

st. Louis, Oct 15.-Dugald Crawford,
head Of the big department house
which discharged twelve of its Oldest
and most faithful employees for sup
porting free silver and afterwards re-
dnstated them, has made a complete
statement of the matter.
Mr. Crawford said:
First of all I want it distinctly un-
derstood that at no time have I at
tempted to coerce. or intimidate men in
my employ, nor have ever asked any
man to vote for Major Mckinley or
any other man. have always consid-
cred myself capable of managing my
own business, and have exercised my
own discretion in doing those things
which my judgment has dictated.
have not read any Of the accounts
which have appeared in the papers of
my action in discharging a. number of
employees Saturday. except the refer
ence to it in this mornings Globe
Democrat. so have nothing to say about
them, either a.firmatively or negative
~. I do know that sometimes newspa-
pers which do not receive large adver-
Using contracts from business houses
attempt to force the proprietors to ez-
pend their money in that way.
1T was a week ago Saturday when I
returned from my summer residence in
the north, bat perhaps I had better so
back to the real beginning Of the bust
ness in my own mind. 1t was over two
months and a half ago that L first be-
gan to realize the seriousness of the is
sues involved in the present political
campaign. While our business, like
every other concern in the country. was
feeling the depression Of the times
was congratulating myself in the be-
lief that Mckinley would be elected
and then we would have the prosper
GUS times of the Harrison administra-
ton I had a talk with a number OF
men, some Of whom afterward dis
charged, and spoke about this matter.
often consult with the heads of diff
ferent departments in our store, in fact
do so at least once a month. When the
boys told me that their sales were not
up to what they would like to have
them and what they should be, I would
say, Never mind, boys. it will be
changed and things viii pick up when
Mckinley is elected.'I did not ask them
what their politics were. or who they
We're going to vote for, but they all &C
guessed in what I said and agreed
that with the triumph Of sound money
would come better times. I was led to
believe that they were all going to vote
for Mckinley. In consequence Of their
talk and actions, I was congratulating
myself that we had SO many SOUND
money men in the store and said so to
those standing about in the office That
was the way matters stood when I left
St. Louis and started for my summer
home in the north.
when I returned from Canada a
week ago Monday I remarked in the
office. Wen, don't believe there fs a
man in the store who viii not vote the
sound money ticket this fall Several
of the men standing around in the Office
smiled significantly, and one OF them
said i guess you don't know the boys
in the store very we'll or you wouldn't
say that Tt was natural for me to in
uUire what he meant and I was very
much astonished to learn that there
We're number of men who intended to
vote the silver ticket. I said to my
treasurer: You had better just pay
these men in great big silver dollars
next Saturday night, and let them have
a chance to get some Of the money they
like ] thought about the matter a
great deal, and the more thought
about it the angrier got 1t didn't
seem right to me to have men in my
employ who were working directly
against my own interests and their
own. too. and it seemed to me they
should have realized it, too. They
knew, as any man with common sense
knows, that panic or at least great
depression of business, would follow the
my business and all commercial under
takings in the country Tt would in
5ure them as well as it would US
Finally 7 ordered my men in the
Office to make out a list of the silver
men in my employ. When it was com
pleted there were twelve names on the
list that we were sure of. and develop
ments have shown that we made no mis-
take. Out of these twelve men whom
discharged, only spoke to four as
to why / let them go. I did not tell
these four the reason, but minated TO
them how I felt about the matter.
THE first one of the four I spoke TO
was of Irish descent. was going
through the store and met him in the
department. He was walking up and
down. swinging his arms and Z called
him by name and said, 4 understand
that you are going to vote for silver2
He sWelled himself up and said. Yes,
sir; am an Irishman and a Democrat
and am going to vote for silver 7
and more angry than I should have
been probably. but all I said to the
man was. You better go and get your
money and get work from a free silver
man I spoke TO three other men about
the same way. and that is a. fair sample
OF the conversations between US I did
not ask a single man to vote for Nc
Kinley, nor did I threaten them
simply exercised the right had TO en-
pl0y or discharge any man whom
thought was detrimental to my inter
ests. These men seemed to me like
vipers that i had warmed and were
me. Many OF them had been working
or IN md had liz